Why North Korea Starves
For a long time, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK has been trying to make itself self-sufficient in food production. Something we might take for granted in other countries, is very hard for this one.
Reliable information about the country is hard to come by. The government's official channels are not exactly super credible and so people mostly rely on anecdotes or rumors. But we are going to do our best.
In this video, we are going to parse what we know about the DPRK or North Korea (I will use the two names interchangeably), their agricultural instability, and what the government is doing about it.
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hi
Please make a video on Cuban economy and maybe include the political system if you can.
Finally you fixed your audio. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you very very much!!!
@agapp11able I wish I could unread your comment.
I love your content!!!
It is sad to see century old knowledge not being passed on. Crop rotation was already done in middle age Europe and Eastern Zhou period farmers...
Stop believing what this guy talking about. Everything OK in NK according to THEIR standards, if we all stop mornings about poor souls and just curry on with our lives it would be perfect.
Don't worry, the eternal leader's magic hawks will fly down from sun mountain and put a chicken in the pots of the truly faithful 🤪
@@supercompooper can confirm i just received a chicken. I'm an American all I needed to do was pray to the supreme leader and his magic hawk graced me with a chicken.
@@lusvus5445 I think you're confusing violently oppressive autocracy and democracy. Alternatively you're heartless
@@lusvus5445 It is true that every country’s citizens have their own quirks which will cause every government to deal with their citizens in different ways. However, this doesn’t mean they are ok. It just means that we can’t assume they will suffer because we think we would suffer under that condition. Do they really suffer? Probably, since government pays its staff little, the citizens can’t afford anything above minimum necessity, and even workers in the gray market makes three times more. If you want to play words though, everything is OK in NK, says THE government. Maybe the government have the opposite in mind. Anyway, I believe we have been taught to be wary for untrustworthy source, that government included.
As one Polish economist noted, "If the communists ran the Sahara, there would be a shortage of sand."
thats a good thing
What a bias statement. More like sanctions does that.
@@porkysharma8423 The soviets ruled half the world yet a bunch of sanctions ended them? That would mean that communism is dependent on capitalist trade.
@@maarten1115 Communist depends on an open market to trade, unfortunately that trade access is controlled by the capitalist, none other by the US, who throws sanctions left and right and controls the SWIFT system through which all transactions go through.
@@porkysharma8423 Then why didnt they trade with their own allies and puppets? Again if the soviet, who owned half the world, couldn't maintain their own economy without a constant input of capitalist money then there is something wrong with their economic system. Sanctions work both ways silly girl. The west did just fine without all that Soviet trade.
100% employment. Zero pay but everyone's got a job.
Denis Hover As the old Soviet joke went, "They pretend to pay us, and we pretend to work."
North Koreans get paid
As a farmer its clear why they starve. They need more trees! That would help their soil so massively and especially since they mostly work by hand it would be perfect for classic agriculture with multiple layers of trees, bushes and root crops. Thats not done in the west because we dont have the workers, but thats their smallest problem. With this method they also dont need fertilizer
Why would they not need fertilizer?
They starve due to trying to run a country with a terrible economic system; how they farm is only a proximate cause, the ultimate cause is what made them start to farm in such a manner.
@@lendluke fascism? Yea it's a bad system. Tall hierarchies tend to have a lot of problems especially when the sphere of influence is broad. It likely lead to the years of economic stagnation in S Korea under Rhee despite U.S. economic support, until he was finally removed and the country reformed from the authoritarian puppet state the U.S. had originally created. The U.S. bombing campaigns probably made it difficult to administer what arable land they had as well, and I'd guess that likely made it easier for fascist to maintain and normalize their power.
you forget one thing. your idea gives hope. that is not allowed in the dprk
@yezede relegen russia is also getting sanctions but they are not starving
Situation been bad in 90s when North Korea national TV broadcasted to people that plants are edible to survive famine, this broadcast reach South Korea, China and Russia so well documented.
No coincidence it was the 90's too. They didn't have the USSR to ship them grain. It's important to remember that the DPRK was about on par with the south until the end of the Cold War. Which shows how North Korean leadership was capable if backed by a willing ally. However in post Kim Il Sung North Korea- Jong Il decided to go down the path of autarky which is basically a war economy (songun) which put the 90's DPRK economy in survival mode rather than growth mode.
Once race of slaves are always will be as slaves.
@@m.a.118 not until the end of cold war but 70s or 80s
@@alienelephant4721 what?
@@m.a.118 NK was far behind SK by the end of 1970's.
North Korea seems like that group of survivors in an apocalypse that get wiped out because while they may know what to do, their leader "Knows Better" and any attempt to correct them or fix the issue is seen as a great affront and challenging their leadership.
It's like an entire country run by an incompetent middlemanager who's related to the CEO.
The Korean War was as close to apocalypse as anyone can experience.
and even if the kims think they know better than farmers, the least they could do is not piss off every other government on earth to get some food aid, but even that is too much to ask.
@@chappikingofjoberg3583heir biggest fear is looking like the guy who got ass-r*ped by everyone else. DPRK has to look tough and the Kim Dynasty has to look like the all-knowing father.
@@anon_148 What do you mean by “even worse”? Can you elaborate?
It amazes me the amount of high quality content you produce. Being from the US, it's been so fascinating learning more of current conditions and industries in Asia. Keep up the fantastic work!
It is as if a whole team is separately researching for him...
His recent one about comparing the cultural Revolution to Jan 6th was awful but nobody is perfect
Agreed. This is some of the smartest content on KZhead. It’s almost as if it was produced by an Asian or something… 🤔
@@michelangelo4483 I mean, as someone who learned about the Cultural Revolution, I did find many similarities between Mao and Trump. You maybe upset that Trump is compared with someone as terrible as Mao, but Mao has his good sides and similarities with other politicians, like all people do. Will you be surprised if I tell you that Hitler is not special, and many politicians in the US and rest of the world bother before and after had used similar tactics?
@@thomaszhang3101 Winston Churchill was 100x worse guy than Hitler but.... yea
Recovering lost soil after abusing agricultural land for so long is going to prove a very difficult feat. Pesticide (and other chemical) residue is going to be something the North Koreans are going to have to live with for years. (Makes me wonder quite 'what' they are spraying on those crops, since unscrupulous global companies might be selling off 'leftover' chemicals banned in other countries). As someone who has been struggling to recover a patch of exhausted pasture (one third bare rock, two-thirds patchy grass with a few pockets of soil), I know exactly how long it takes - if you're not relying on bringing in soil from other places. Making your own soil is a very time-consuming process requiring a lot of hard work. It makes me sad to hear that NK cut down its forests, removing all the potential for soil-making as well as stabilisation. They have pretty much doomed their agricultural capabilities for the future.
NK did not cut down trees. Those mountains were free of trees at least since 500 years ago. Korean Peninsula gets extremely cold, so all the trees were gone a long time ago used as fuel. South Korea was able to re forest their mountains after they become wealthy, and could afford to import oil for fuel.
And what about them using human feces to fertilize the crops? Wouldn't that taint the soil?
@@BabyMonkeyDefenderI know very little about farming, but is using human feces worse for soil than using cow or horse manure?
@@adamesd3699Human waste is more likely to carry diseases that affect humans so it needs to be composted more carefully. But for example waste from cities water plants is used in farming.
@@MrJuanmarin99 Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks
I have been to the DPRK in the end of 2018 and I can assure that all the colored images in the video (no matter how old they might seem) are exactly how I experienced the country, the soils color, the people wearing black, the sky being foggy etc. I have even been in the room on the thumbnail… btw: great quality video! You could level up by adding your resources then it would be close to perfect scientific journalism! Keep it 🆙
So I guess those images are part of a curated propaganda tour. I wonder how things look outside of that special areas. In countries of the former Warsaw pact, we have a joke about painting grass green, because directors of factories would do that for visiting dignitaries and foreign visitors.
@@Mbeluba Probably looks like Katanga slum.
Looks like a normal California gloomy day.
@@BungieStudiosngl I’d rather be shot by a group of kfc people than the secret police of NK
Excellent analysis, though obviously I can't judge its veracity. Double-cropping like you describe is disastrous. You should produce intensive crops like potatoes only once every few years if you want the land to remain fertile. There are a lot of things the North Koreans could learn from other nations, if they weren't ruled by fear.
They already have their own rich culture However communism destroys everything
They seem to be ruled by narcissistic maniacs who assassinate their own family members and only have one care in the world: Their own power. A few people in the capital, both "normal" upper class families and extremely withdrawn elites around Kim Jong Un seem to be living fairly lavish lives. At least the elites. The other ones might still be poor compared to us, no idea. Anyhow, I agree, it is fear. And it goes on because of extreme brainwashing, which made at least previous generations believe that the Kims are comparable to gods, and a concentration of weapons, money and technology (and even food) with the scum government that only cares about themselves. I mean, how stupid can you be to allow your population to starve in the 21st century, even though there is no political instability and you are getting aid? They really don't care at all about their own people.
@@KanishQQuotes Sure. Wasn't talking about culture but about technology and economics. However, I doubt there is anything left of Korean culture in N.K.: generations of oppression by absolute tirants who want to control your every thought and be worshiped as god tends to destroy a culture.
If you don't own the land why do you care? Just pass your quotas and get some rewards. Anyway you likely would be working on a number of land plots and not always the same ones. Same if you were to lease a farmland for 3 years without rules. Just double crop as much as possible
t's even worse as crop rotation techniques was solved during the Age of Charlemagne over 1200 years ago. Medieval farmers used a three crop system (vs. two crop of the Roman Empire) which left one field to fallow (no crops but clovers were encouraged which increased land fertility through increased Nitrogen of the soil). So, the DPRK farming techniques are even worse than the Middle Ages. It's like they're partying like 99 AD. The deforestation of old growth forests was a result of the need for new farm lands due to growing population during the Middle Ages.
I have visited North Korea early 2000's and I saw nearly every mountains that meet my eyes are completely barren as l travel along the poorly paved road. Deforestation at its utmost. Not a single tree or green cover on the hills. They look just like desert or scene on Mars from National Geographics TV. No wonder that they experience eternal cycle of flood and drought. They will need tree on the hill, lots of them to recover her agricultural productivity and food self-sufficiency.
Good luck growing trees on lime stone.
@@harryhuang1439 good luck raping your soil for years and years and then blame it on limestone
@@gillsejusbates6938 well, that is kind of the state of condition now. Thanks for the sanction from democratic countries, trees need to be chopped so more people can survive for the time been. But thanks for the hindsight wisdom.
@@harryhuang1439 even with sanctions Cubans didn't have to face starvation. they faced other problems but starvation was not one of them. same for Apartheid South Africa. your fat boss eats all that wheat and makes nukes to threaten everyone.
@@patriotenfield3276 right, you can shift Cuba to the same altitude as north Korea and try again.
Double cropping isn't necessarily a bad idea, but you need to chose your crops wisely. Potatoes plus more potatoes is a really bad idea. Potatoes plus beans or alfalfa can work.
They take 70% of farm production because they have an insanely large army to feed.
Classic Marxist mismanagement - since the only people who can exploit you are “capitalists” they ignore the damage they do when they deprive workers of the surplus value of their labor to serve the other parts of their operation. They are not capitalists therefore it cannot be exploitation, right?
15:52 Housewives of North Korea. Now that would be an interesting reality show.
way better than half the fake reality tv shows we have today
Prior to the Khmer Rouge communists taking over Cambodia, Cambodia had one province (Battambang Province) that could feed the whole country of 6.5 million at the time. Sure, the country was poor, but the country already had self-reliance when it came to food. When the Khmer Rouge imposed collectivization practices and their principle of self-reliance, the country suffered two famines.
Through out history these animals get into power, I hope one day they can eliminated before they get into power
@@oggypilestro6343 based
@@defectiverevolutionaryandr1188 is based good or bad?
@@williamrosenbloom215 good. Very good.
@@oggypilestro6343 ironically these "animals" were highly supported by the US and were eliminated by other communists (Vietnam) :D
Sadly this has been a problem since time immemorial. All the invasions wars and migrations haven't helped either. The history of the area literally changed the environment before there was even a Joseon. It's why North Korean cuisine features more potatoes corn beans and other grains like millet and barley because it's was hard to grow rice. From what my Grandfather used to tell my Mom, he said those were the crops used as staples because the weather is so extreme, and rice is grown as widely as South Korea. I just hope a day comes where a 38th parallel doesn't exist, and our people can care for eachother freely without involvement from outsiders.
South Korea and North Korea can unite...but the Kim family demands they be in charge of a unified Korea. This is the biggest problem.
@@SelfProclaimedEmperor The ChiCom government would rather the Kim's be in charge, too. The last thing they want is a unified free Korea on their border.
Xenophobe alert
@@edsnotgod East Asian doing East Asian shit~ it's okay when they talk shit about others but not them.
@@cookingwithchefjeff It's true. The only reason, really, that China provides any support to North Korea is because they want a commie shithole between them and a free Asian country; China IS still an actual ally of North Korea and they DO NOT honour international sanctions agaisnt them. With Japan, they have the ocean between them and internet censorship out the ass to limit access to free world ideas, but if all of Korea were a free country, China would find it harder to stymie the influences of the free world from influencing their people who are largely silently resistant to the amount of authoritarianism they have to deal with. The Chinese voices you hear which sound patriotic and protective of the Communist Party's 'face' are those who fear telling us what they really feel or are part of what has become known as the "Fifty Cent Party", who are paid to deflect criticism of the CCP and to criticize free world ideas to make the CCP look more appealing to foreigners. Protip: these "50-cent people" love bringing up old historical issues relating to racism, skeevy business scandals, and unpopular political moves as 'proof' of the crimes of capitalism and democracy when we Americans have LONG addressed and redressed those issues (and still are redressing some of them today). They are, to us, ancient history and, thus, irrelevant.... so don't let these assholes deflect and those weak rebuttals when you encounter them and end up in a political/economic/civil liberties debate.
Great content as usual. I am from West Berlin and cannot see North Korea as either "DPRK" or "communist". With grandfather, father and son running the country north korean hereditary leadership is more like royalty or kings, but I also see the Kims as a crime family. North Korean Mafia Kings may be the most appropriate title.
you might realize one day that the similarities between the two is by design
I often say that the DPRK is Joseon Dynasty 2.0 .
Communist run countries are mafia by default.
Would be cool and funny for a country to go to war against a bunch of gangster Mafia lol
I was in Japan 1992 to 94. 93 was so rainy the rice didn't grow well due to lack of sun. They imported rice... There was a volcano in the Phillipines (Pinatumbo) a few years earlier 1991 . I wonder if North Korea experienced more of the same.
In a different video someone said that the people are starving because their government wants them to, and I thought that was a really interesting perspective. If you worry about your food every day and you're hungry constantly, you don't have enough brain capacity to worry about anything else, especially not about the lies of the government or even trying to leave the country, simply because all you want is to make that hunger feeling go away. And if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. When I work or just do something in my free time and I get really hungry all of a sudden, everything else suddenly matters way less than it did before. I lose my focus at work, my fun during my free time and many of my worries, because I really just want to eat something. The government could do so much to improve all of this but I'm sure they're well aware that if the population had enough food and people wouldn't be hungry anymore, there would be too much capacity to think about different things, like discrepancies in the stories that the government comes up with. People wouldn't have that pressure of trying to grow enough food to survive. It's essentially just a massive balancing act between leaving the population hungry and occupied enough so that they obey, while at the same time giving them enough food so they don't die. The massive famine disturbed that balance and led to a lot of death.
What a bullcrap. You think the people of North Korea didn't knew BEFORE the starvation that their government is trash? With or without starving, they were and still are very loyal to their government because of brainwashing and cowardice.
@@guyukassman7705 I believe they slowly think that their government is trash after multiple famines and economic failures, remember that the people who founded North Korea was fighting for it. People wanted that communist government and they got it, after multiple failures by the government they don't like it anymore but the government got too powerful to stop.
@@guyukassman7705 And, people who are absolutely starving do not revolt. The revolts come as things get better. In the NK context, the only possible revolt would be some type of military coup, which seems unlikely as it would force out the military.
They can't keep the military fed. Gotta feed the military so that they can put down revolts/uprisings.
@@Dutch_Uncle which is why North Korea will never be free until their military is destroyed. When China collapses, North Korea will be in big trouble. Their chief benefactor will be gone, and with it, the military's main source of food. When the military starts starving, they will be vulnerable, and that's when they will attempt to pillage South Korea, which is when South Korea, the *real* Korea, should end North Korea's existence, with help from the US and others.
seriously amazing content, presented with lovely graphics and images as opposed to basic stock footage. definitely deserve more attention, keep up the work!
17:07 A good example of, "just claiming something does not make it true." Building at the top left corner says, "We are happy." (hengbok = happiness, contentment, satisfaction, etc.) I'd venture to guess that most people seeing that huge sign at the top of the building don't agree.
Lol, we have something just like that in Vietnam, every new year, they hang a banner cheering the government and that banner will sit there until next year. People in countries like us doesn't care. We are just trying to survive.
China recently claimed their most valuable company is TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Corporation). Countries that implement information firewall across their borders love making ridiculous claims.
It does not matter what people think and whether they agree or not. As long as most of them prefer to stay quiet you can just pretend that truth does not even exist and replace it with whatever suits you best and you will all just carry on with it, right until you just can't anymore.
Really admire the extensive research that went into this. I learned a lot.
It should also be mentioned that with North Korea closing their borders due to COVID-19 they're in danger of facing starvation conditions right now. They've even admitted food troubles and a lot of their pronouncements recently have had to do with food security and reassuring their people they're trying to look after them.
They closed their borders, but the ships from Vietnam and trains from China still bringing rice to their ports and stations anyway. So they'll be fine
It's hard to simpatize with country that prefer buying b* *mb or mi* *ile rather than foods for it's people.
@@winnieid2727 no one's asking you to feel bad for the DPRK, but for the majority of the people living there with no say in any of this
@@winnieid2727 why did you censor bomb and missile?
@@MusicalMemeology I’ve seen people do similar things with words on KZhead’s demonetized list, but never for bomb and missile
There are some mistakes: double-crop is not mean that you can get two haverst potato in one field the same year (this is not possible in Korean climat). Double crop means that you can grow, for instance, barley in winter and spring and corn in summer in the same field. This also mean crop-rotation, very good if alternate legumes and corn. Second, barley can be sown in winter or in spring. In both cases harvest will be in summer. Winter is better, because the crop have more time to grow, but sometimes weather, or lack of tractors, don't allowed to sown all the barley in winter or before winter, so farmer should sown it in spring. There are not little tractors in Korea for little plots? I have only seen little tractors in huge fields😅. Thank you, this channel help me to study English and polit-economy.
Awesome to see this channel grow so big.
I have been following the channel for some time now and you have brought us another good video to understand what is going on in Asia, if and when you can do a video on North Korea's ballistic and nuclear programme. It is impressive the tenacity of these people.
He does things not tirelessly already covered by western media
Very thorough. Excellent presentation.
Alternate title: How to squander half a century of industrial lead
Have it obliterated by the United States of America?
@@blenderbanana economic lead or not there are still gulags, if you need to shove a large chunk of your population in a prison in order for you to thrive its not a good system
@@Nicholas-qf8vx .6% of North Koreans are being kept as chattle in the Gulag System. Americans who have served time (In Prison) for Non-Violent Drug-Offenses, is about 1.4% of the Population. Coupled with the Addendum of the 13th Amendment, and the History of "American Justice" throughout the twentiest century, Our own depravity is revealed.
@@blenderbanana Em where did you get this information?
@@kerosblue5609 N Korea's was easy, just google it. America's has to be pieced together from "Americans who have served time in Prison" and "# of Americans who have served time for Non-Violent Drug Offenses" and such
North Korea is as if the great leap forward and holodomor had a radioactive baby
It's interesting when this is compared to what happens today in china, where central government set up goals, and its up to lower government to achieve them with means as they see fit, it's usually several pilot programs at the same time and supposedly those achieving good results get to be implemented in broader area
Excellent work. Thank you!
Thanks for this highly informative summary of the sad history of North Korea.
Please do a video on the Cuban economy and how it's survived thus far. I think most people who even lean towards socialism don't have any real understanding of how cuba works including myself. Much appreciated.
Honestly I want to see what happens if America lift it's embargo on Cuba. Because if it's a failed state, then why not lift the embargo and make it fail on its own.
It’s called asianometry though.
@@penguinpingu3807 Cuba isn't remotely a failed state lmao. They even regularly offer medical aid to the US when natural disasters hit (getting turned down by the US government of course).
@@Jetsetlemming oh please, their largest export is people.
@@MusicalMemeology he sometimes does videos on the Soviet union etc and other places. I don't see why he wouldn't do one. It would just be great to have an actual analyst breakdown the Cuban situation.
North Korea: The eternal tragedy.
Has potential but cannot access it since food is still critical
Except it's not eternal! It was basically the same as SK until the fall of the Soviet Union.
@@appa609 SK started pulling ahead already in the 70s.
@@armamentarmedarm1699 Or perhaps communist countries are always on the path to starvation
@@armamentarmedarm1699 that's because communism is brain rot for countries, weakening them from inside
Great video, just found your channel. Subscribed, thank you!
From what I’ve read, there was a long time period after the war where the North was doing much better than the South due to contracts from Soviets and CCP, now of course the South has them beat a few hundred times over
@@armamentarmedarm1699 cut of 90% of any country’s trade and they would do poorly, the trick is don’t get your trade cut off. Kim could have trade and prosperity right now
@@haruruben yeah if he bent over backwards, let himself get penetrated, and personally helped the us build bases with nuclear weapons on the country Do you understand what your argument sounds like? “Yeah we could not let them starve but they won’t listen to everything we say so uh, yeah sorry”
There was a time when they were outperforming even Communist China in terms of individual well-being.
@@Bonedagi that was back in the 80’s, the North had a lot of different manufacturing contracts with the Soviet Union that boosted the economy but that ended with the failure of the USSR
@@armamentarmedarm1699 low iq comment
All this feels even more tragic when you remember North Korea spends Billions on nukes and ballistic missiles.
Throwing money at the problem wouldn't solve the obvious lack of know how
if it doesn't have it, US imperialism will invade it immediately like middle Asia. it's right
@@user-lh7mp4jg4o literally what are you talking about lol, we have no reason to invade a country that we very much like having as a buffer state between S.Korea and China. North Korea offers us nothing in terms of invading it other than so many more problems. Are you from China?
@@user-lh7mp4jg4o And they'd be so much better off if it happened, too!
@@AussieFlavio no, people in the country can decide their fate own, if they want to rebel, it's their own business. any imperialism and colonism can never be accepted. these several hundred years, imperilism and colonism have killed billions death, just India famines under uk colonism caused over 100 million peasants starve. and the slaughter by imperialism killed entire races in Australia and America. Africa slaves also died millions for US imperialism slave trade. let people themselves decide. US imperialism has make millions people death in such as Afghanistan, they just launch war for profit and don't care people death
I've been to North Korea near Chinese border. All their hills are turned into arrable land sparsely planted with corn. The lack of appropriate farming tech and fertilizer and the degeneration of land made farming very inefficient.
17:00 holy shit. my *city* has a GDP of 23 billion. it's a city of 200k people. our manufacturing sector's GDP alone is 3x larger than the entire state budget of north korea. that's fucking insane.
What city do you live in?
@@Golmar_227 nowhere special, just a mid-size city in northern indiana.
North Korea has a GDP of at least $150-$300 billion. Capitalists really love to lie.
@@NUCLEARARMAMENT 🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭
@@NUCLEARARMAMENT Not true
I love your content! Subscribed 😍
Long story short: Communism. In the USSR of 70s, only 5 % of the agricultural land was privately farmed (i.e. small plots), but produced up to 35 % of the country agricultural output. This should answer everything we need to know.
Thank you! For this educated and non-bias video.
Asianometry is one of the VERY FEW KZhead channels I put on Patreon after the first video. I’m retired and other than walking the dog and riding my ebikes/motorcycles (with Baby, the 12.5# Pekingese in the basket) I watch a lot of KZhead. Thanks for the videos/information. I spent a month in Hong Kong and Mainland China in 2007 and loved it. I’m afraid, what with Covid and and our respective administrations it’s probably not going to be on my “To Do” list in the near future. Thanks again for the videos.
„And what does the government do about it.“ A sentence that would make me sceptical with the most functional of governments and we are talking about North Korea here …
"The farmers are keeping food for themselves!!"
@@spritemon98 kulaks and farmers are not the same.. Same way domesticated cats and lions aren't the same You can try mix-matching them all you want but it will never be same shit
@@Sunzen44 it's a joke
@@spritemon98 mb I seen too many ironic comment
15:01 Pretty bold to have a picture of a dude reading a book on your book.
A lot of states are not independent with their food, but it's not as bad when you are able to trade with the world.
Imagine your country starving to death and not being allowed to grow a backyard garden because it's private property and not socialist.
Thanks for making an actual good, fact based video about Nk. People uncritically quoting Radio Free Asia doesn’t paint a real picture of the problems NK faces.
Hey! Excellent video, I am curious as to what sources you used and would like to see them so I can learn more about the subject. Thank you!
4:22 - With the exact opposite result. 7:13 - One of the books by a defector made it clear that the only legal option was starvation; trading or scavenging for food were illegal, stealing it ditto, and there was no government ration. 8:40 - The Army eats first. 13:02 - But they can afford research for nukes and delivery systems. 16:45 - Again, the Army eats first.
@@armamentarmedarm1699 Yes, but I was mistaken; it was written by Sandra Fahy, not a refugee. "Marching Through Suffering", pg.131: "...the North Korean government placed national sovereignty above the well being of its population, all the while failing to provide a legal means of sustaining life."
Great video! Thank you.
FYI: I just googled arable in the US. I don't remember how many million hectares....but it came out to be 16.8%.
Your statement at the beginning of this video was a fresh breath of truth so many fake stats are propaganda riddled on other videos I’m happy ypu began by making this point well done
North Korea starves because big chungus eats everything
even he has been getting a bit thinner as of late
This video is basically my favorite youtuber covering one of my favorite subjects. I have 2 youtube accounts; and i'm subscribed to you on both. Keep up the good work.
thanks for yet another great vid
I had the opportunity for a six month job posting in the DPRK with the British Council a few years ago - it would have been *fascinating* (which I don't mean as an endorsement), but my wife vetoed it.
I know your pain.
She probably saved your life. Anything could offend the dear leader and who knows what could happen to you
Wife seems wiser than thou
I like again how you can talk about a challenging subject in a reasonably neutral tone.
*"neutral tone" but slightly bias.
Great analysis & overview.
Great informative video👍
As a farmer I recommend you look up the SK JADAM method of farming. All my neighbours are now starting to implement some degrees of this method and I believe that cultivating and multiplying microorganisms is key to high production.
It's odd isn't it? Loads of people, all over the world, learning about natural farming methods from SK and yet, over the border, .............
The north korean regime is the strongest on Earth. It has tried every trick in the book to destroy itself, yet it is still here.
it hasn't fallen; because the people still fear the ruler and are very malnourished to fight a war. most of the food is grown for the military. very little is kept for the farmers and their families. in the end; the population will fall. not very many are having children. why would a north korean man; have a child he knows; will grow up in poverty and live under that type of regime? not gonna happen. kim is going to be dead by the end of this decade. people who go from morbidly obese to slim in one year ; and on top of that ; go through a massive heart attack and almost dying at the operating table; but 1 year later; look like it never happened? yeah no. his time is coming.
@@ChickenMcThicckenNgl, I wish DPRK and China would collapse _FASTER._ I hate being an Accelerationist in times like this - everything feels so goddamned SLOW.
very factual. challenged many of my misconceptions.
your videos are amazing!
It’s an amazing joke that Un had gone on a diet, while the entire country is starving.
Claiming Kim Jong Il invented the burrito doesn't actually feed a population.
Imagine actually believing the bullshit Radio Free Asia puts out about Nk
While the north korea has bizarre propaganda but most of that propaganda is literal bs they don't actually say that kind of stuff.
@@Fireclaws10 this was actually done .
@@patriotenfield3276 source?
@@erozionzeall6371 trust me bro
Just to remind everyone that China and Russia have even both talked about sanctioning NK before, that's just how bad the North Korean government is. At least Russia allows access to the outside world and China has food and medical service.
Russia is no longer the way you described it lol.
CCP's China sanctioning NK, like really?
@@Nestalgba92023 NK has threatened China and Russia before over silly things, making both Russia and China view NK in a less favorable light.
@@multidoor6928 yeah lol
That's one of the saddest things Ive ever heard. And Ive watched "what it's like to be a chaos space marine" right before this. In Czech Republic Im recognizing many of these destructive features of komunist autoritative regimes, although here it's a shadow of what is mentioned in the video. Irreversibly destroying land, peopple and their psyche.😢
To summarize: North Korean government has always been incapable of provifing food to its people who were forced to find alternatives.
Incapable implies that they don't have the ability to help their own people, they do, they just don't want to. For instance, whether it was Kim jong Il or un, I dont remember, an organization offered north korea food assistance in the form of rabbits, since rabbits can give birth to alot more rabbits, it can help with their protein related food problem. Nope, one of those mother fuckers decided to eat all the delivered rabbits that were brought into the country at a fucking party, im amazed how nk is still around.
This is by design to control people, as completely starving populace has no means of resistance because they cannot even think straight.
@@DruNature : According to some philosophies, only the most devoutly loyal people are deserving of having even their basic human needs met. It's tribal culture writ-large. It's cruel, but also surprisingly effective at ensuring loyalty, because almost nobody has the means to go find their own ways of meeting all their own needs -- not even most people who have devoted their entire lives to the task.
That's what the West wants you to believe!!
And yet the kims are well fed to the point of obesity
interesting.. 1990's I lived in Thailand.. refugees arrived via China and entered via northern Thailand . how can they afford missiles and nuclear weapons.. if they have no food .?
Pakistani dictator Bhutto put it well: "We will eat grass if we have to, but we WILL have a nuclear weapon". Said because India had demonstrated their ability to create nuclear warheads. Of course, when he says "we" in relation to food, he actually means "I'm going to have 5 square meals a day, the peasants can suffer instead."
Just think of how Britain used inflatable tanks during ww2. I'm of the mindset that much of what you see on north Korea video footage is bluster and propaganda, quiet frankly not a very good job.
Hi, could you make a video about Amkor? The founder is also pretty interesting, too. He Had basically two big companys and one of those he sold to 1bn+ to Gamestop back in the days.
Ya here in Canada we got some of the best soil and still a 2nd crop means you need a forest fire and rain at perfect time or your growing grass. Then you can do 3 if your lucky.
7:00 wait- they put people in jail for foraging????? Like “foraging” meaning like looking for berries and roots in the forest? Why? That makes no sense
Imagine being a farmer in North Korea and bring hungry… being unable to eat the fruits of your hard work only cause others want it.
This happened to Ukraine under Stalin. Stalin wanted to show the world how well his policies were working so he exported massive amounts of grain ... which had been stripped from Ukrainian farms and Ukrainians starved to death.
@@veramae4098 the Holodomor
Love your channel and content.
A civilization with the title of "Eternal Leader" for the guy in charge makes me lol.
My favourite story is of the German export of twelve giant (over 10kg/22lb) rabbits for an official government breeding programme which were all instead eaten immediately upon arrival at a presidential banquet🤣🤣🤣🤣🤦🏿👎🏿🇬🇧
Just crazy enough to be true. Kim Jong Il only cares about one person, himself!
6:30 classic “beggars can’t be choosers” mentality
Great work. Loving the channel
Keep up the good work
The following Kept on life support by China Cambodia under khmer rogue North Korea since soviet collapse Myanmar (crisis since independence in 1947) Pakistan has practically leased out their entire coastline
China doesn't even like the N.Korean government, Russia and China have both talked about sanctioning N.Korea from just how doctorial it is. N.K constantly shows the world why authoritarianism is bad, which itself is a threat to Russia and China since they try to sweep under the rug how authoritarian their systems are. Pretty much by this point NK is truly alone besides Kim meeting up with Putin every few years. I actually wouldn't be surprised if Russia or China themselves invaded or at least toppled the Korean government.
@@armamentarmedarm1699 Yes you can. Sanctions are not a valid excuse for mismanagement and corruption largely to fuel the Kim regime's power-trips.
Exactly.
So much of the rise and fall of Nations & Empires really comes down to the soil & how we treat it.
One thing I never see in any photos or video is livestock. They seem to grow grass quite well. I am a sheep farmer, I grow organic veggies and hay for my sheep. I constantly rotate my sheep and my crops. Every few years I switch my sheep pastures and veggie fields. The sheep pasture is extremely fertile, perfect for my veggies. My veggie fields are still good and grow grass perfect for my sheep. I never once had to bring in fertilizer. On 60 acres we produce tons of veggies every year. And enough meat to feed dozens of families. We are just a small operation.
Good documentary. That is high praise from me.
16:20 absolutely hilarious that there's an underground capitalist movement
It doesn't help that they're still practicing Lysenko-ism.
You make really good videos. 🙂
I was surprised when you quoted Amartya Sen, he is hardly known outside of south asia
They have vast coastlines, so why not aquaculture starting with growing algae that can be used as part of human diet as well. Secondly they have significant labor at their usage so reforestation would be easier (many trees can produce also fruits and food)
they grow seaweed but it does not contain any sufficient amount of calories, like potato or crop. fruits do not grow in the northern climate
China has aquaculture on its seacoast and when there is a big storm, small islands of seaweed float around and kids lie on them and float around. The coastline of North Korea is extremely rugged with mountains sometimes entering the sea. Almost any market in NE China will have seaweed and kelp in stock so it obviously is a viable option.
reforestation is impossible. the demand for wood exceeds the planted trees. trees take years to mature and yield woods without being cut down themselves.
@@armamentarmedarm1699 The sanctions are to stop weapons and luxury goods from getting into North Korea and to stop the regime from making money to buy those things.
@@SK-hm3ze IIRC they cannot manage to grow strawberries. Unsuitable climate.
Kim seems to have done well during the famines.
They didnt let the leader starve noo way literally 1984
There is a desire in American to do animal husbandry and limited agriculture of other reasons. I didn't realize the bags of topsoil come from South America, because where else would they come from? What if awards are given to those who have their facility visited? We used to pick raspberries, which are recommended as part of your sustainable garden. I grew several grapevines at Fellowship Place, and I can't believe they would be that dumb not to get the imagery. My mother doesn't have any excuse for weeding them, because she is supported by the authorities, and I really think our adversaries took the grapevines. Someone asked me today about the farmstand, and I said I don't want to spend time on it. They say the Green wouldn't be used for that, and there isn't enough space between the City buildings. Peaches are not hard in Connecticut and squash is supposed to be indigenous. I grew them two big for the refrigerator, which it feels fantastic to have an endless supply, but I think they are small now because of the bees. Remember how the authorities said they must be picked when small? It would work to have one cow, although I don't know about a goat. (It might be cruel.)
8:22 ahh communism, "Sharing is caring when it suits me comrade!"
With the cyber capabilities & stealing money/making counterfeit am surprised they haven’t made Hydroponics or Vertical Farming. They can use their Cyber capabilities to good use and get funds to buy the equipment from China or Russia.
All that money went back into the pocket of Kim family to buy the loyalty of the top officers. Why spend 10 on farming when 1 for farming and 1 for loyalty and keeping the rest.
Hydroponics and vertical farming as well as community permaculture gardens are great for food security of communities, but are harder to manage (by bureau) and tax than traditional wheat, rice, or corn farms. So while it would be much better for the people, it would be worse for a government trying to cling to power
True, north Korea could be a strong country If they loosen up on strict economic policies and let capitalism in like China, north Korea has large deposits of resources like high grade coal, iron , nickel, tungsten etc to be a industrial power
South Korea is a food importer(import - $40.2B, export - $12.7B), but it can afford it. North Korea exports almost nothing, they have nothing to buy food. Yes, North Korea farming is not efficient, but if South Korea cannot feed itself, then North Korea all the more.
China imports food to North Korea. I think the imports kinda tick off USA
You'd think in 80 years someone might have learned to grow plants
It’s very clear as to how the Soviet era management system along with stubbornness of NK leadership keeps if’s people in poverty. Doing the same thing over and over again and doubling down when it fails only multiplies the on going catastrophe. Because the government is unwilling to learn and implement new ways of doing things NK is stuck in it’s ongoing condition.
1:15 and 1:45 look so nice. Terribly sad that so many people in what could be such a nice place are suffering under a horrible, illegitimate regime.
Every regime is illegitimate. But some are more horrible than others. The Kim family and their cronies certainly deserve to suffer terribly and die very, very slowly for what they've done to their countrymen.
@@remcovanvliet3018 Yeah I added the word just to emphasize that there is no "government of North Korea". In fact there is no "North" Korea. There is just the Republic of Korea, the northern half of which, sadly, is controlled by a hereditary gang of criminals propped up by China and Russia.
@@JonMartinYXD keep on lying to yourself
@@edwardsnowden8821 What? Could you explain what I said that you disagree with and why?
LONG LIVE THE ETERNAL LEADER KIM IL SUNG LONG LIVE KIM JONG IL LONG LIVE KIMN JONG UN
"North Korea was removed from the provisions of TWEA in 2008"....why did you skip the part about the IEEPA?
I was a bit confused by the symbol for Workers' Party of Korea. It has the traditional hammer, a sickle of communism, and then a third thingy? It's a calligraphy brush. I thought it might be a candle or something.
the brush represents the intellectuals