Foreign Policy: The Case for Humanitarian Aid to North Korea
Victor D. Cha, professor at Georgetown University and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Lindsay Lloyd, George W. Bush Institute Bradford M. Freeman director of the Human Freedom Initiative

“…[T]he United States should open its pocketbook [to North Korea]. U.S. aid will certainly not fundamentally alter [Kim Jong Un’s] regime’s posture on security issues, nor will it resolve North Korea’s long-term problems without fundamental reforms to its system of government. But at its core, providing food and medical assistance is an issue of morality and humanity. … According to [a recent U.N. report], some 10.9 million people in the country — approximately 43 percent of the population — suffer from food insecurity, and nearly as many lack access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services. … [P]roviding humanitarian assistance shouldn’t be thought of as a lever to bring about political change in North Korea. While North Korea’s government may have a callous attitude toward its people, Americans believe that every life has value. Right now, lives are at stake. We can help to save them, and we should” (7/17).