What kinds of decisions were you helping organizations such as UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP) make?
HS: I was part of a 2-3 member targeting unit. WFP is the biggest food operation in the world and has access to virtually every country, and in North Korea, the WFP feeds 8.5 million people out of a total population of 22 million; women and children mainly. If the food donations come in, its fine. You’ve got your program and you feed everybody on your list. The people getting food aid don’t get much variety, just basic grains and nothing that is very nutritious. You are just keeping them alive basically. Incidentally, that is one thing that is not talked about with food aid, because when people talk about diversion, the fact is you don’t need to divert it because the elites would not touch it. It’s the military that gets first selection of the North Korean harvest anyway, so women and children get food aid. Carnegie Council: What is the role of an international researcher when it comes to a major famine? HS: I’ll give you an example. In 1999, the head of the World Food Program, which i
