Gaining access
By John BurtonThe Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS) is a Geneva-based NGO that monitors the impact of humanitarian assistance worldwide. Twice a year, it issues a report identifying countries that are not getting the humanitarian assistance they need due to access constraints. It will come as no surprise that North Korea routinely appears on its list of countries that have “extreme” or “very high” constraints on humanitarian access, whose number now stands at 17. In its latest report issued last month, ACAPS described the situation in North Korea, which it designates as having “very high constraints,” as follows: “Overall humanitarian access is limited, though improvements have occurred since 2018.”It notes that international staff have access to all North Korean provinces, although tight restrictions exist for Chagang Province in the north.“Travel and humanitarian activities remain highly regulated by national authorities. International humanitarian agencies, as well as DPRK nationals, are required to obtain advance clearance
