Program Details: 
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: Long-Term Development and Food Security at Work

For more than 10 years, Mercy Corps has been a leader in coordinating humanitarian
assistance to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, formerly North Korea). Our early focus on emergency relief has evolved to promoting food security with an emphasis on agricultural rehabilitation, and on building connections between the people of the DPRK and the United States.

Since 1996, Mercy Corps has provided food, agricultural and medical supplies; facilitated
training and exchange delegations between American and Korean experts; convened international conferences; and participated in numerous global dialogues involving the
Korean peninsula. With support from private and nonprofit partners, Mercy Corps continues to work on solutions for chronic food insecurity in the DPRK.

Agriculture Rehabilitation
Mercy Corps is committed to laying the groundwork for sustainable agriculture systems in the DPRK that support long-term food production. Through initiatives involving the participation of specialists from the DPRK and the U.S., new crop varieties and farming
techniques have been introduced. Mercy Corps has provided farms in South Hwanghae and South Pyongan DPRK provinces with more than 71,000 apple trees, 100,000 apple tree rootstocks and more.

Agricultural experts from Oregon have provided consulting services and actively participated in project assessments in the DPRK and technical training in the U.S. Each shipment of apple trees receives the utmost care, and the newly established DPRK orchards serve as a model for other regions of the country.

In addition to apple trees and rootstocks, Mercy Corps delivers high-quality agricultural supplies to farmers to promote improved agricultural practices. These supplies include:

• 1,500 pounds of grass and alfalfa seed;
• 65,116 pounds of fertilizer;
• 23,000 pounds of vegetable seed;
• Three windmills; and
• Barley and winter wheat seed

In March 2005, following exchanges by fish hatchery managers from the US and the DPRK,
Mercy Corps provided 50,000 rainbow trout eggs as well as fishery equipment. Continued
improvement in trout production will help ensure much needed high protein food for vulnerable DPRK citizens. Mercy Corps continues to support these fish farms with technical advice and has provided refrigeration units and trucks to ensure safe and hygienic storage and transportation.

Exchange and Collaboration
Mercy Corps promotes personal and cultural exchanges with the DPRK, and we have so far
coordinated more than 20 exchange visits between U.S. and DPRK citizens. These trips
have included both technical exchanges between experts, as well as citizen delegations
to the DPRK, including strong support from Oregon state organizations and citizen groups.
These visits foster not only improved technical knowledge exchanges, but increase cultural
understanding at a person-to-person level.

Mercy Corps was instrumental in the founding of the National Committee on North Korea
(NCNK), and we continue to serve as co-Chair. The NCNK is a nonpartisan coalition of experts from multiple sectors, including policy, security, humanitarian, academic and human rights, as well as a select group of inter-Korea relations specialists.

The NCNK’s mission is to reduce tensions and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula by
encouraging all relevant actors to work cooperatively to find solutions for specific problems. The NCNK works to enhance broad- based understanding and mutual trust, and supports transitions that enable the DPRK to become a full participant in the community of nations.

Emergency Assistance
Mercy Corps responded vigorously to the flooding, drought and collapsed economy in the DPRK that led to three consecutive years of famine from 1995-98, followed by a chronic and devastating food deficit.

During the height of the famine, Mercy Corps chaired the Consortium of Private Voluntary
Organizations (PVOC), which distributed US food, medicine and supplies. During this time,
a total of 35 U.S. food monitors worked for the first time representing their organizations in the DPRK. Specific assistance provided included:

• Distributing medical supplies, hygiene kits and food packs to more than 35,000
  families in the northeast region of the DPRK;
• Shipping more than $25 million worth of critically needed medicines, medical
  supplies and food assistance to serve vulnerable populations throughout the country; and
• Delivering and monitoring 305,000 metric tons of U.S. food aid and $5 million worth of U.S. medical supplies

In 2007, severe flooding again affected many rural areas in the DPRK. In response, Mercy
Corps provided more than $27 million in medical supplies and clothing to hospitals and
communities in flood affected areas. We continue to provide foods and urgently needed medical supplies to county level hospitals.