UNDP will review reopening N. Korea office 'if things change,' agency chief says

Alexander De Croo, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), speaks during an interview with The Korea Times at Seoul National University, May 22. Courtesy of UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) operated in North Korea for nearly three decades before a series of disruptions — fund diversion allegations, then the COVID-19 pandemic — forced it out. Now, the agency’s administrator says there is no immediate plan to return, but reopening remains possible if conditions on the ground change.

“If things change, we’ll have to look into it,” UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo told The Korea Times in Seoul last Friday. “We (currently) don’t have presence in North Korea. We used to have it, but we were asked to leave. As long as things don’t change, there’s no point for us to be there.”

The remarks came after South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed the U.N. body’s plan to resume operations in the North in the first half of this year. The administrator didn’t elaborate on the specifics, but it is known that the agency has been looking for ways to reenter the seclusive country for years.

The UNDP first opened an office in Pyongyang in 1980, becoming one of the earliest U.N. agencies to establish a presence in the country. It provided assistance across multiple sectors, including food supply and the environment, until operations were suspended in March 2007 amid allegations that funds had been diverted to the North Korean government.

Activities reportedly resumed around 2010 but were halted again during the COVID-19 pandemic, when all international and humanitarian workers left the country. The agency’s last project in the North concluded in 2020.

De Croo visited Seoul to attend the launch of the Global AI Hub, an initiative by the Korean government to build a global framework for tackling crises through artificial intelligence (AI).

The UNDP administrator is optimistic about the project, which aims to build a global framework to tackle crises through AI.

“The creation of the Global AI Hub is something we are really positive about because we see AI as one of the great accelerators of development, AI helps us to upscale people. It helps us to find rapid solutions,” he said. “Speeding up development is the benefit of people because it gives people more access to certain things.”

The initiative currently involves nine U.N. agencies, including the UNDP, the International Organization for Migration, International Labour Organization and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

De Croo stressed that while AI cannot provide tangible, physical assistance to people, it can significantly improve the quality of humanitarian interventions and ensure they are more inclusive.

“AI is not putting food on the table, of course, and AI is not building houses, but it is a way of improving what you currently do — trying to speed it up, to do it cheaper, to do it in a more inclusive way,” he said.

“What is important is that we integrate AI in existing projects. It’s never a goal in itself; it’s always something which improves the quality of the other types of interventions.”

A delegation from Cambodia under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) listens to an explanation on smart nursery systems and data-based afforestation techniques at National Institute of Forest Science's Forest Technology and Management Research Center in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, in this undated photo from December 2024. Courtesy of UNDP

De Croo praised Seoul’s trajectory from a recipient to a steady contributor, particularly at a time when global aid funding is impacted by global conflicts.

“Korea’s story is an incredible success story of being one of a war-torn or destroyed country that has, in quite a short period of time, become one of the richest countries in the world,” he said, adding that Korea remains a strong supporter of multilateralism at a time when the system is under strain.

He highlighted the importance of the private sector in humanitarian crisis intervention while praising the Korea-led aid initiative R.E.V.I.V.E (Relief, Employment and Vital Infrastructure for the Vulnerable in Emergencies).

R.E.V.I.V.E is a $64 million (96.2 billion won) early recovery initiative launched by the UNDP and funded by Korea’s foreign ministry. The program supports six countries hit by disasters or war — including Syria, Ukraine and Palestine — so they can rebuild their communities through job creation, infrastructure repair and the restoration of basic social services.

De Croo also pointed to the role of the private sector in crisis response.

“Typically we work with companies like Samsung and others to provide services, and obviously we pay them for those services. But they often have supply chains and organizations which are very powerful and which we try to use as much as possible.”

The UNDP administrator warned of the impact of the crisis in the Gulf region.

“It is wiping away much of the progress that has been achieved over the past decades ... The impact goes way beyond the Gulf region,” he said.

“It’s frightening to see how little reaction there is to this, knowing what we know about the impact. We already know now that in September and October we are going to have problems with food supply.”

He noted the world is entering a multipolar era where leadership is more dispersed, making it harder to mount a coordinated response. “The world has not found a way to find the leadership that is necessary to cope with these types of crises,” he said.