** This article is available at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/world/asia/29korea.html?scp=1&sq=North%20Korean%20human%20right&st=cse
I want to share an article in the New York Times about U.S. government’s aid to North Korea. The article says that during his visit to North Korea, Former President Jimmy Carter criticized the United States and South Korea for their refusal to send humanitarian assistance to the poor in North Korea. According to the article, Mr. Carter argued that two democratic governments have deliberately withheld food aid amounted to “a human rights violation”. Indeed, thanks to a harsh winter, severe flooding and outbreak of disease, North Korean people seemingly are really struggling with starvation.
With regard to this issue, many donor countries like U.S. argue that transparency in the distribution process should be a precondition for their aid. They seem to regard some vocabularies like ‘accountability’ and ‘transparency’ as one of the most important issue; Some people like Mr. Carter seemingly believe that if we can distinguish who the beneficiaries of the aid are, we should continue to provide the aid in terms of ‘human rights’.
However, the issue is far beyond that to South Korean people, because the issue includes ‘security’ issue, which can directly affect their safeties of lives and properties. Namely, this issue is not just about North Korean people’s human rights, but also about South Korea people’s safeties. Many South Korean people believe that the North has repeatedly lied to them. They think that on the one hand the North has built up their military powers, but on the other hand, they have begged humanitarian aids. Their concern has got more serious. The North is considered to be the culprit behind the sinking of a warship, the Cheonan, which is clearly an action of invasion to South Korea. The North continues to develop the nuclear programs. Recently, it is considered that North Korean computer hackers even attacked the network of a South Korean bank.
I don’t deny that ‘human rights’ is a real problem in the North and they really need our helps. According to the 2010 State Department Human Rights Report, there has not been any improvement in human rights. Rather, extrajudicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrest of political prisoners have become more serious issues.
It also pains to South Korean people including me (maybe, more than anyone else in the world) extremely to see North Korean people who are starving to death, because we are the Korean people.
As Mr. Carter argues, do you think that we are avoiding our duties or responsibilities to the poor in North Korea? Should we resume the aid in the situation where the North’ ruling class does not mend their ways? How do you guys think about this complicated issue?

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