EagleAye said:
It relates because, NK sacrifices an arrangement to receive food from the US by launching this rocket. If the rocket launch is only about "space exploration" as you assert, it seems like they are placing a national "luxury item" ahead of feeding their people.
Well, I don't really think one can necessarily conclude that a satellite is a "national luxury item" as you have here. Perhaps the government was planning on using this satellite to monitor weather patterns and climate, and assist in surveying for potential improvements to their agricultural system. This is speculation, but my point is that it is very possible that this
isn't a "luxury item". My personal (speculative, unfounded) opinion is that this was the case, as I don't think the DPRK would have invested so heavily into such a program without it being so.
If the rocket had a military purpose (perhaps a saleable one later on) it would make more sense, but you claim it's not.
I don't claim that it doesn't have a military purpose.
All space programs have both military and civilian advantages. However, I think that people who are claiming that this
wasn't an attempted satellite launch don't have a leg on which to stand - after all, the outcome for the DPRK is the same regardless, and they openly admit when they are testing ICBM's, so why would they suddenly hide it now?
Granted, a satellite rocket is just an ICBM with a satellite stuck on the top and some staging/control modifications - think of the SM-65 Atlas, the first American ICBM which was used to launch satellites into space for about a decade - so I do think, as I said earlier, that this had both civilian as well as military advantages.
My comment about keeping the "people heathy" is related to food supply, not specifically pharmaceuticals. Good food, and good quantities of it, contributes significantly to good health. But if you would still claim that North Koreans are well fed, then why would they strike yet another deal for food?
I never claimed that North Koreans were well fed. I stated that I haven't seen evidence of recent food crises in the country that isn't solely based on refugee reports.
This is NOT anecdotal evidence from refugees. This is a large organization that must step in and help. If the WFP must step in to provide food then North Koreans must not be getting enough food.
You're right, it's not, thank you for this. Though, again, I don't see this substantiating the idea that there is mass starvation or anything in the country, as many people claim; indeed, the WFP's page on their North Korean program states:
WFP said:
While malnutrition rates among children have decreased the last decade, one in every three children remains chronically malnourished or ‘stunted’, meaning they are too short for their age. A quarter of all pregnant and breast-feeding women are also malnourished. A Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) in October last year noted that a small shock in the future could trigger a severe crisis which would be difficult to contain if these chronic deficits are not effectively managed.
So malnutrition has decreased, but it is still a significant problem; and there are significant problems with North Korea's food system, but it is not currently undergoing a "severe crisis".
If they aren't fed enough then how can their health be the envy of the world?
The WHO's assessment was of their healthcare industry and not of "their health". Particularly, the abundance of doctors and level of coverage North Korean citizens receive. Chan, in her report, recognized that malnutrition was a problem.