Known to have one of the world’s military mights, North Korea is looking forward to getting some 400,000 tons of rice from its generous neighbor-South Korea.
International observers viewed the new food shipment as another form of generosity from a democratic country that is threatened by a nuclear attack from its communist neighbor. And they have expressed doubts that the humanitarian aid will ever go where it is supposed to go. As gleaned in the past, relief goods are diverted to enterprising people close to the regime. While the food aids were believed to have been set aside to feed its military men who are ever loyal to the Nokor leader, rather the millions of its citizens, most of whom are dying of hunger and famine.
In fact, video footages aired over international television recently showed that malnourished children picking food leftovers along the side streets. While relief goods supposed to cloth the impoverished are seen being sold in market stalls for profits. For whom?
South Korea’s action can be gleaned as a way perhaps of letting Nokor knew that it is still a concerned neighbor where others can emulate with pride. And all these years, South Korea’s aids to a rogue regime led by a lunatic leader whose fat figure doesn’t jibe well with hunger that beset much of the country’s population who subsist on scarce agricultural produce.
South Korean officials said that the food shipment was part of the five-day negotiation held in Pyongyang recently, in exchange for Nokor’s promise that it would abide with the United Nations prodding to let its inspectors see its nuclear facilities.
What North Korea seeks, it gets because it is good across the negotiating table. Recently, Nokor failed to cooperate unless its $25 million deposit frozen in a Macao bank be released. But after its release nothing much had happened ever since.
Again, this goes to show that Nokor is remiss in its commitments. Next time, nobody will believe them anymore because its officials are full of diplomatic tricks that further ruin its already tarnished reputation as a hardheaded member of the U.N.
It’s not bad to extend help to a needy nation like North Korea. But its regime is using diplomatic tactics to get what it wanted sans fulfilling its commitments in the interest of world peace and harmony.