***
Famine-Stricken North Koreans 'Forced Into
Cannibalism'
Jan. 28, 2013
There are fears some
famine-stricken North Koreans are being forced into cannibalism following claims
a man was executed for murdering his two children for food.
The incident was reported by
the Asia Press and published in
The Sunday Times. The same investigation also
contains details of a man who dug up his grandchild's corpse for food, and
another who boiled his child and ate the flesh.
The Sunday Times refers to a
"hidden famine" in the notoriously secretive country, which could be
responsible for up to 10,000 deaths in the last year alone.
The reports, which have been
picked up by other major news outlets too, are described as
"credible". The Independent
reports the claims of one "citizen journalist" who said a man in his
village was executed by firing squad after trying to eat his children.
The source said: "While
his wife was away on business he killed his eldest daughter and, because his
son saw what he had done, he killed his son as well. When the wife came home,
he offered her food, saying: 'We have meat.'
"But his wife,
suspicious, notified the Ministry of Public Security, which led to the
discovery of part of their children's bodies under the eaves."
Fears of cannibalism in the
country surfaced in 2003 too, amid testimony from refugees who claimed poor
harvests and food aid sanctions had resulted in children being killed and
corpses cut up for food.
According to The Telegraph, requests by the United
Nations World Food Programme to access "farmers' markets" where human
meat was said to be traded, were turned down by Pyongyang, citing
"security reasons".
Those caught selling human
meat face execution, but one source told the North Korean Refugees Assistance
Fund: "Pieces of 'special' meat are displayed on straw mats for sale.
People know where they come from, but they don't talk about it."
In June last year the United
Nations said two-thirds of the country's 24 million people were facing chronic
food shortages.
It added nearly a third of
children under the age of 5 showed signs of stunting, particularly in rural
areas. According to
the Associated Press:
"The report paints a
bleak picture of deprivation in the countryside, not often seen by outsiders,
who are usually not allowed to travel beyond the relatively prosperous Pyongyang, where cherubic
children are hand-picked to attend government celebrations and a middle-class
with a taste for good food have the means to eat out."
It also bolstered criticism
of the government, which critics say should be spending money on food security
instead of military strength.
North
Korea claims strong
military and nuclear deterrents are necessary against the perceived joint
threats from the US and South Korea. Tensions rose
even further in December following a long-range rocket launch.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment