Contributor: Ellsworth Culver

NEW YORK - I was having dinner with my friend Han Song Ryol in a Chinese restaurant just up the street from the United Nations.

Han arrived last summer as North Korea's new deputy ambassador to the United Nations. That also makes him the senior representative from his government to our State Department. Youthful looking, soft-spoken and friendly, he belies the impression of the dogmatic, unyielding, tough North Korean.

In 1995, devastating floods and famine hit Han's country. For the first time the North Koreans asked for help from the outside world. My organisation, Mercy Corps, and others responded with food and medicine. I've been deeply involved with the humanitarian needs of this most isolated country on the globe since then.

During these years, an estimated 2 million people have died from lack of food and disease associated with severe malnutrition. During my 17 humanitarian trips to the country, I have seen the immense suffering in North Korea: the devastation of a collapsed economy, hospitals devoid of medicines, homes unheated in the middle of severe winters, chimneys but no smoke, stunted children in the schools, malnourished babies in the nurseries.

The World Food Programme recently announced there is no longer food in the pipeline, and stocks in North Korea are running out. I told him my impression of recent talks with political and administration leaders in Washington is that everyone is talking about North Korea, unlike past years, but there seems to be no clear consensus on what course of action to take about food.

We must separate politics from food. A recent poll shows strong support from the American public for continuing food assistance to North Korea.

It is not in our national interest or in keeping with our values to deny food to hungry North Korean women and children. The ambassador said he was afraid political conditions would be tied to food aid. Then he made a startling comment: "Jesus did not demand conditions when he fed the poor. But we will never beg for food."

Over lichis for dessert we talked about what North Korea does want. Without rancor or harsh rhetoric, the ambassador simply reiterated what has often been reported in the media. "We want a nonaggression treaty with the United States, respect for our sovereignty and not to be hindered in our economic development."

We didn't talk about North Korea being lumped in with Iraq and the "axis of evil." I am one among many who believe the unfortunate decision on the part of Kim Jong Il to move ahead with a nuclear build-up is in direct relation with insecurity about being next after Iraq on our "hit list."

Richard Armitage, deputy Secretary of State, recently spoke of the need for restructuring our relationship with North Korea with a "bold approach." Now the administration insists North Korea abandon its nuclear policies before we'll talk with them.

That attitude betrays our leadership's ignorance of the most fundamental trait of North Korea -- Juche -- determination to persevere even under the most severe circumstances.

Unless the United States enters into negotiations with the North Koreans, there's no doubt they'll develop their nuclear capability. That will create serious instability in East Asia, and the confrontation with the United States and their neighbors will escalate.

Outgoing South Korean President Kim Dae Jung has warned that if Pyongyang goes nuclear, that could force his nation and Japan to develop nuclear weapons. Negotiations need to take place on a bilateral level but should be carried out in an environment where China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the Europeans can participate.

As we finished our dinner, I was overwhelmed again by the irony of the situation. Here I was, engaging in friendly conversation with a man who represented a government that was saying, in effect, "unless you promise to have a nonaggression treaty with us, we are going to threaten you with our nuclear weapons."

The obstacles to peace are always overwhelming. Three years ago, I spent several all-night sessions negotiating with North Korean officials on terms for assuring the delivery of tens of thousands of tons of U.S. food to vulnerable people. In the end, we reached an agreement and helped save literally thousands of lives.

As I walked back to my hotel I mused about our conversation. I deplore the irrational policies of Kim Jong Il that have deprived millions of their freedom and created a cultlike following of the "Great Leader." But nuclear confrontation is not acceptable. The old Cold War mentality is passe.

We need President Bush to lead us out of this dangerous game, to build that new relationship.

Another American who has talked on many occasions with the North Koreans once confided to me, "There is another alternative. We could smother them with what they need. We are the world's biggest power. We could overwhelm them and put them on their feet."

Of course, in the world of superpowers, national egos and ideological struggles of supremacy, who would be willing to propose such a naive approach? As I walked into the lobby and took the elevator to my room, I thought, "But we could." Didn't that happen after World War II with Germany?

[Editor's Note: This commentary originally appeared in The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) March 16, 2003.]

Read more ▸

North Korea has been exporting missiles in return for cash for years, so I was not terribly shocked to hear it had also been secretly developing its nuclear programme. But what is really quite surprising, has been the sudden openness to acknowledge to Japan that they had indeed kidnapped young Japanese, that they were implementing major changes within their domestic economic policy, and that they would be establishing a major free trade zone along the China border. In spite of their rhetoric, the North Koreans have been sending signals - albeit in a clumsy fashion according to international diplomatic practice) that they want to talk, to work things out, to avoid becoming the next point of attack against the axis of evil.

North Korea is a desperate country in crisis. There are strong internal struggles but they will never implode as some speculate. Their vulnerability does provide the possibility for tragic consequences if extreme negative decisions are made as a result of feeling that their enemies will seek their destruction. On the other hand, North Korea's vulnerability offers opportunities for positive engagement, particularly by the United States, South Korea and Japan, to sit down and seriously negotiate - without preconditions - the issues that for over 50 years have kept the Korean peninsula on the brink of a war that would endanger millions in East Asia.

Among the issues to be negotiated would be a continuation of international food aid on the condition of open access and monitoring. And from the point of view of this writer, that should include the strong involvement and participation of U.S. nongovernmental organisations.

When North Korea had a trading relationship with the Eastern Bloc their needs had been met. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, destructive flooding in 1995 and the economic downturn, people quickly got into trouble. They could not get food and I agree with the estimate that up to 2 million people died of hunger related causes. Since then, many people have found ways to cope, though some- the elderly and children - are still very much at risk, particularly in the rugged northeastern part of the country which continues to be the most susceptible to the lack of food and resources. There is no industry and no energy. The cities are dark at night and terribly cold during the winters. The situation is very precarious and we must continue to help. Food aid provided in the north and northeast, especially for children, has been lifesaving and needs to continue.

Mercy Corps has remained active in North Korea since arriving seven years ago. One of the ways we have supported the redevelopment of the agricultural system is to help rebuild the country's orchards. Before the Korean War, there were many - the climate is favorable to grow apples, peaches and pears. But after 50 years of no new input the production has dropped. The workers know what to do, but need supplies and new varieties. We saw this as a special niche where we could help, while continuing to provide direct food and medical aid.

A few months ago I visited North Korea - my 17th visit in the last seven years - to follow up on an apple tree-planting project, part of Mercy Corps' sustainable agriculture programme in the country.

The apple trees are doing remarkably well. The workers at the farm have taken excellent care of them. Since the project began over two years ago, Mercy Corps has delivered 46,000 apple seedlings, 23,000 pounds of grass and vegetable seed and more to the Kum Jongni Farm where we are working to introduce new varieties and technology to increase food production.

Once involved in North Korea, Mercy Corps began a series of meetings with other U.S.-based NGOs operating there which were further supported by the InterAction North Korea working group. U.S. NGOs developed a good track record of working together to provide aid to North Korea and appealing to the U.S. government to provide support.

We urge U.S. NGOs to continue to provide targeted assistance to the North Korea people - food aid, agricultural assistance and medical support. The U.S. NGOs have been the best advocates for the United States there - without us, they have virtually no contact with Americans.

It is very critical that we help those in North Korea who want to engage with the outside world, that we help them help themselves in that process. Change will occur but not quickly - we need to be patient. There are hopeful signs, good signs. If we increase engagement with North Korea, we all will benefit. We don't need another war.

Read more ▸

At a recent Beijing press conference, Premier Zhu Rongji noted the unprecedented development of China's economy over the past four years. Civil service employees have seen their salaries doubled, employees' salaries have increased significantly, retirees are getting more benefits thanks to the improvement of the social security system, and the projection for continued economic growth in the coming year is set at 7 percent.

Unfortunately, China's 800 million rural citizens are not seeing any increase in their income, and in certain areas have even seen a drop. Asked to name his biggest headache, Zhu, with characteristic humor, said, "To be honest, I suffer from headaches all day long. If you are talking about one single issue that causes me a real headache at present, that topic is how to increase the income of Chinese farmers."

In China there are 30 million farmers living in absolute poverty on 25 cents per day, and another 30 million "relatively poor" who live on less than a dollar per day. Meeting the needs of farmers is first and foremost in China's reform, according to President Jiang Zemin. With China's entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), farm products from the United States will flow into China on a large scale, creating competition that will cause even more difficulties for farmers.

Against this grim backdrop, it should be noted that according to United Nations sources, China is one of the leading countries in poverty eradication efforts. The government has encouraged the utilization of microfinance as an effective tool to combat poverty. Consequently, the microfinance industry has boomed over the past five years. Most of these operations in China, however, are too small to reach any significant scale—let alone sustainability—within a reasonable time frame.

The China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) is one of a few non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that has been able to achieve significant scale in a relatively short timeframe. Since l999, the CFPA has managed one of the most successful microfinance programmes in China. It has provided over 30,000 loans to farmers, and the repayment record is an outstanding 97 percent. The strong performance of the CFPA is based on its history of establishing operations at the county level, emphasis on training, precise data collection, strong management, high level government recognition, and, unlike other programmes, operational independence from the government.

Mercy Corps recently formed a strategic partnership with the CFPA. Our independent assessment of the CFPA programme has shown that its microfinance project has resulted in increased agricultural production, household income, and quality of life for loan recipients. In the village of Shuangbai, where the programme has been active for nearly three years, the increase in crop yield for corn has grown from 150 kg to 350 kg per mu (local term for a unit of land), and there has been significant improvements in housing, including new brick homes built in the village.

In Fenshang village, Mrs. Zheng, a farmer in her early forties, used her 1000 Yuan (£74) loan to raise special "natural" chickens, which is unlike those commonly found in the markets. Because of their exceptional taste and nutrition, she had no problem finding buyers. Even the restaurants from the nearby city come to her home to buy her chickens. After repaying her first loan, Mrs. Zheng took out a second loan to buy a small grinding machine. By grinding grain and feed for others in her village, she now has yet another source of income. Her goal is to use this additional income to provide more education to her children.

In Ankang County, a male borrower used his first loan of 1000 Yuan toward buying four medium sized pigs for 340 Yuan each. He was later able to sell them for 500 Yuan and repay his loan. Then he took out a second loan and bought three cows, which he now plans to sell for a profit. This income is supplementing what the family earns planting rice.

Mercy Corps and CFPA have agreed to launch an aggressive programme to significantly increase farmers' income in poverty-level counties by expanding this successful micro-credit programme. Within five years, we plan to increase the number of farmers benefiting from the micro loan programmes from the 21,000 who are currently participating, to 120,000 farmers, and to expand the branch offices from six to nineteen counties. The objectives are to raise net income by 25 percent per annum, achieve sustainability in the fourth year of operation at each county, and establish this project as China's premier agricultural low-income micro credit programme.

To help achieve these goals, Mercy Corps and CFPA have established a unique Corporate Partners programme. We will be recruiting North American and European companies, churches, and other interested groups to sponsor the project at the county level. Corporate sponsors "adopt" a poverty-level county where the Mercy Corps/CFPA will establish a microfinance project. In four years, 8,000 farmers will benefit from the project. Most important, at that size, the project will be self-sustaining. For every $1 contributed to Mercy Corps/CFPA, we are able to raise a $2 match from Chinese sources. Sponsors will receive detailed quarterly reports including information on the beneficiary families, amount and purpose of loan, pay-back record, photographs, and other data related to the village and project. Visits can also be arranged for sponsors to travel to the area and meet with the local villagers.

Read more ▸