While few observers believe the penalties have brought Pyongyang to the negotiating table, the suffering of the country’s citizenry is undeniable
The stainless-steel milk cans are built to carry 20 litres of liquids, which in North Korea are sometimes moved by car, sometimes by bicycle. For First Steps, they are a valuable way of getting soy milk to the daycares, kindergartens and orphanages the Vancouver-based charity supports. In 2017, First Steps bought 300 milk cans to send to North Korea.
That matches what Ms. Ritchie has seen – in December, she went to one part of North Korea that had, earlier, flooded with nearly a half-year’s rain in a single night, destroying 40 per cent of crops; in another place, crops were hurt when temperatures hit 39 degrees, shattering the previous record of 31.“The North Koreans have made a conscious decision to focus on economic development. And because of that, we’re having negotiations with North Korea,” said Carl Baker, a former U.S.
“If things were that bad, we’d have reports of major shortages, a strong regime of rationing for key goods like fuel, major price hikes on the markets, and the like. And we don’t.”It’s an indication of North Korea’s savvy in avoiding the obstacles set against it. But it’s not clear any of those changes will open the door for the First Steps milk cans or other goods effectively barred from North Korea at the moment.
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