Right now here in England it is 7.30 Tuesday evening and I am watching
channel 4 TV news. Commentator Jon Snow says North Korea is telling aid agencies to leave, even though thousands are starving and in need in aid.
According to the report, North Korea is a country where millions are starving or malnourished:
6.5 million people receive aid. It's leadership is throwing out western aid agencies by the end of the year.
North Korea Manager of the UN's World Food Programme was interviewed. They have been asked to stop humanitarian aid. The UN agency has been asked to stay to do development work but is unclear as to what that is.
Foreign NGOs have been told to get out. North Korea's leaders insist the country can feed itself.
The reality is an impoverished land still struggling to feed itself. It's the monitoring of aid North Korea does not like. They feel there are too many foreigners around. Grain including rice has been banned from being sold commerically.
Also, the reporter said if North Korea finds western aid workers too instrusive, it does not bode well for nuclear inspections.
