– Alternatives to humanitarian assistance: In the last 15 years, an entrepreneurial spirit developed in North Korea through the creation of black markets.
North Korean authorities try to control these activities and enforce prohibitive regulations that exclude some groups most vulnerable to poverty from them. Abuses also happen with the school children used as labor force and as a way of earning private income for teachers.
– Despite being considered the poorest region of North Korea, the Northern Provinces bordering China are the most economically active. They have the potential of becoming one of the most vibrant regions of the Korean Peninsula.
– Development projects based on human rights approach as well as China’s long-term vision is necessary to allow for the development of the provinces as a counter-measure for reliance on food aid. Such development will also benefit the Jilin Province of China. Chinese policies of repatriation of North Koreans who drive the development on a micro scale only exacerbate the humanitarian crisis. With such policies China only creates a long-term problem for itself, for example the fate of children born and left in China without support and education.