Mercy Corps Plays Role in Helping Improve US - North Korea Relations

Mercy Corps Senior VP and Co-Founder Ells Culver and President Nancy Lindborg visit with Ambassador Li Gun. Photo: Simon Miller/Mercy Corps.

Mercy Corps' Co-Founder and Senior Vice President Ells Culver leaves for his 20th trip to North Korea this Saturday, May 22 as the leader of a 12-person delegation from the Pacific Northwest who are accompanying him on a special peace-building mission to North Korea and China. The visit to North Korea is part of the agency's ongoing efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to innocent people there, which over the past nine years has also made progress in helping to normalize relations with that country's government.

"Ells is making history with this visit," says Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer. "There are not many who would be granted access with a group of people to this country. Ells is a senior statesman who is an expert on North Korea and Asia, and he has worked hard over the years to gain the trust and respect of the North Koreans."

This delegation marks one of the rare occasions when non-technical people have been granted access to North Korea. Their visit is welcome as part of a new effort by some in the North Korean government to get to know Americans better. Culver has led smaller delegations to the country in the past, which have included agricultural and fisheries specialists as part of the agency's work to foster sustainable food systems crucial to long-term stability in this isolated country. Plans for this trip include visit to apple orchards that were seeded with Oregon apple tree root stocks, as well as meetings with government officials to discuss ways to expand the food aid projects.

Mercy Corps originally began humanitarian assistance to North Korea in 1996 in response to severe environmental and economic conditions that resulted in three consecutive years of famine touching the lives of millions. Children's malnutrition continues to be a major concern for families in North Korea. With support from the Northwest-based Gates Foundation, Mercy Corps is also delivering major shipments of medical supplies to needy communities.

This trip to Asia also includes visits to Mercy Corps' China programs, which include a very successful microfinance project (supported by Nike) that offers small business loans to budding entrepreneurs as a method of stimulating economic development and thus alleviating severe poverty that exists in many parts of the country. The delegation also has three different meetings planned in Beijing with Chinese business owners, who are interested in learning from the Mercy Corps delegation members (all successful philanthropic business owners themselves) about the concepts of corporate philanthropy and social responsibility, which are new ideas in China.