Hungry North Koreans 'eating children'

[Evilmav2]

Hungry North Koreans 'eating children'

By Mark Nicol
(Filed: 08/06/2003)

Cannibalism is increasing in North Korea following another poor harvest and a big cut in international food aid, according to refugees who have fled the stricken country.

Aid agencies are alarmed by refugees' reports that children have been killed and corpses cut up by people desperate for food. Requests by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to be allowed access to "farmers' markets", where human meat is said to be traded, have been turned down by Pyongyang, citing "security reasons".

Anyone caught selling human meat faces execution, but in a report compiled by the North Korean Refugees Assistance Fund (NKRAF), one refugee said: "Pieces of 'special' meat are displayed on straw mats for sale. People know where they came from, but they don't talk about it."

The NKRAF, an aid body set up in China five years ago which helps to smuggle food and medicines into parts of North Korea off-limits to WFP officials, interviewed 200 refugees for the report.

"If a funeral takes place during the day and the burial is performed that evening, the grave may be dug open and the body stolen before morning," said one refugee.

Another witness, named only as Lee, 54, said he feared that his missing grandsons, aged eight and 11, had been killed for food. As he searched widely for them, they boys' friends said they had vanished near a market.

Mr Lee said police who raided a nearby restaurant found body parts. The business's owners were shot.

Gerald Bourke, the WFP's representative in Beijing, said it was difficult for his organisation to substantiate the reports of cannibalism as they were unable to get to the markets. "As in any desperately poor country, it is something we might stumble on," he said. "It's not just a problem for us, but also our donors." Because of the food shortages, many people were having to survive on nine ounces of rations a day - less than half the recommended minimum daily intake.

North Korea's ability to feed itself has been hit by floods, deforestation and lack of farm fertilisers and equipment.

The WFP says Japan provided 500,000 tons of food aid in 2001, making it the biggest donor, but sent nothing last year. Food aid from America has been cut from 340,000 tons in 2001 to 40,000 tons so far this year. Washington has pledged to send a further 60,000 tons if Pyongyang lifts restrictions on the operations of agencies such as the WFP.

Daily Telegraph

[u2sarajevo]

This is pathetic, sad, and disturbing. We should thank God every day for what we have. My morning is now off to a horrible start, thanks evil.

[irontoad]

Good God in heaven...

[Member]

oh my god...

[MavsFanFinley]

This is pathetic, sad, and disturbing. We should thank God every day for what we have.

I second that statement.

I wasn't sure if this was for real or going to be a bit of a joke when I read the subject heading.

No, no joke at all.

Makes me sick.

[mavsfanforever]

This is absolutely pathetic. I wish we are never in a position like that. BTW , thanks for posting this in the morning evilmav2.

[Blonde Bomber]

The picture kind of startled me for a second after reading the header..YIKES.


It's hard to believe people living in those conditions when we live like we do in America.

[MavKikiNYC]

Anyone ever seen the film "Delicatessen"...?

[Evilmav2]

Anthropophagi or Cannibals

Stories of cannibals have been told and shuddered at for as long as the human story has been told. Although often based upon truth, such stories often become exagerated or magnified by the inherent inhumanity of the act. Generally written or unwritten narrative accounts of cannabalism represents attempts by ordered society to perlustrare through the darker realms of human possibility. In this fashion, the inherent taboo of eating a fellow human's flesh has generally been imagined as something that happens on the periphery of human civilization as acts of uncivilized barbarism.

Pliny ascribed the practice as common among Scythian tribes. He writes, " According to Isigonus of Nicea, the Scythian Cannibals, who live 10 days' journey to the north beyond the River Borysthenes, drink out of human skulls and use the scalps with the hair attached as napkins to cover their chests." (Healy, 1991.)

The term cannibal comes from Columbus's expeditions-during his travels in the West Indies, there was much talk about the feared Carib or Canib tribe. They would invade other islands and eat other people. The picture above illustrates what happened to the Spanish explorer de Solis, who sailed from Spain to Brazil in 1514. He and five others were captured by natives, and roasted and eaten while their horrified companions watched from the ship. (They returned to Spain immediately thereafter.)

[Smiles]

It's horrifying to think of this sort of thing happening in our world. We're so comfortable, and it's disconcerting to be faced with such a reality - we've been so happy and content with our collective "head in the sandbox"...

I find it startling as well that we would complain of being faced with this reality "in the morning". Who do we think we are that we would protest this slight level of discomfort? If it jarred our senses, then isn't that a good thing?!

Maybe there is even something that we can do about the situation - maybe just a small thing....?

[mavsfanforever]

Originally posted by: smile_at_me10
It's horrifying to think of this sort of thing happening in our world. We're so comfortable, and it's disconcerting to be faced with such a reality - we've been so happy and content with our collective "head in the sandbox"...

I find it startling as well that we would complain of being faced with this reality "in the morning". Who do we think we are that we would protest this slight level of discomfort? If it jarred our senses, then isn't that a good thing?!

Maybe there is even something that we can do about the situation - maybe just a small thing....?

Great post Smile.

[Evilmav2]

Maybe there is even something that we can do about the situation - maybe just a small thing....?



I believe I can think of some folks who might be able to ease the threat of North Korean cannabalism...