Famine and Reform in North Korea

North Korea has been experiencing a food emergency for more than a decade, and in the 1990s experienced a famine that may have claimed one million lives. The crisis is distinguished by its protracted nature, and while conditions have eased somewhat in recent years, the situation remains quite precarious and the country could lapse back into famine. This paper examines the origins of the food crisis, the impact of the 1990s famine, and the prospects for resolution of the North Korean emergency in light of economic reforms initiated in 2002 and the subsequent diplomatic confrontation over the country's nuclear program.