Tuesday, 5/6/97 Starving to be heard During a nationwide
campaign, campus organizations seek to educate communities and end
North Korean famine through a 24-hour fund-raising fast during a
rally outside the Federal building
By Teresa Jun Daily Bruin Contributor Julia Song is like most
other students at UCLA. She attends lectures, takes notes, and
occasionally her stomach growls in the middle of class. But Monday,
Song’s stomach probably growled louder than usual. Until 6 a.m.
this morning, Song ate absolutely nothing for 24 hours straight.
Her fasting was not part of a diet, nor was it due to poverty. It
was part of a nationwide effort to fight the current mass
starvation in North Korea. Song and others in the UCLA community
gave up food for 24 hours, hoping to raise sponsorship money to
help alleviate the developing famine in the small communist
country. Banning all foods, including candy, the voluntary fast was
part of a rally held in front of the federal building on Wilshire
Boulevard Monday from noon to 2 p.m. "The rally/fast was important
not only to collect money from sponsors," said Song, "but to
educate people about the situation and move the government to
action, because they are the ones that can really help." Song
raised $100 in sponsor donations. Unfortunately, much more than
just $100 donations will be needed to make any significant changes
in North Korea. "Right now, each person is allotted only 100 grams
of food per day," said Alyssa Kang, a member of the Campaign to
Stop Famine in North Korea. "That’s only about half a bowl of rice
per day." As the food supply diminishes, the situation grows
increasingly worse. Food is distributed according to a rationing
system because of the structure of the communist government. As the
available food supply is used up, the food will run out at the same
time for everyone. "Already, families are digging up roots and
eating the bark off of trees to survive," said Kang. North Korea’s
current state was brought about by a string of natural disasters in
recent years. A devastating flood in the summer of 1995 wiped out
half of the food crops in North Korea and destroyed houses and
schools, leaving almost half a million people homeless. Last year,
a severe hailstorm worsened the situation. Song emphasized the
humanitarian aspect of this situation. Concerned about feeding the
people, she called attention to the victims, 2.6 million of whom
consist of children under the age of six, pregnant women, and the
elderly. These groups are at the greatest risk in the developing
famine, according to campaigners. "They’re people. They need to
survive," said Song. "A lot of North Korean citizens don’t know
what’s going on. Or because of political reasons, they’re not
getting the aid they need," she said, referring to the
less-than-perfect political relations between North Korea and
capitalist countries like the United States and South Korea. "It’s
really painful to be hungry," said Jung-Eun Son, a UCLA alumna at
the rally. "Whether you’re a communist or a capitalist you still
need food to survive." "The bottom line is that people are dying,"
Song said. "We need to do something about it. And a wealthy
superpower like the U.S. can really move things." Already having
donated $25 million in aid to the North Korean plight, the United
States has, in fact, made some effort to alleviate the situation.
However, campaigners argue that this amount actually meets less
than six percent of the total need. Coordinated by various
community organizations under an umbrella committee, the rally was
held on a day recognized as Children’s Day in South Korea. "It’s
kind of ironic that it’s Children’s Day," said Kang. "Yet 2.1
million children are suffering as the famine progresses." On the
brink of starvation, millions of children are going bald for lack
of nutrition, according to committee publications. Many children’s
growth processes have been stunted by hunger and diarrhea as well.
Kang notes that many 11-year-old children look as if they were 6.
While the rally and fast is only a small step toward improving
situations for these children and their families, it is at least a
start, according to Song. "Food is going to run out soon, very
soon," she said. Song fears that as early as the beginning of this
summer, the 100-gram portions of food may have to be decreased to
much less. Other efforts currently being organized by the committee
include a letter-writing campaign to government officials such as
President Bill Clinton, First Lady Hillary Clinton, and Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright. A nationwide Three Thousand Donor
Program is also underway. This program asks all those concerned to
donate $1 to $10 every month until the famine ends. "But the
program is not only to raise money," said Song. "It’s also
important to spread the news and keep people thinking about the
issue." Song is a member of the UCLA Korean Cultural Awareness
Group (KCAG), one of two campus groups involved in the campaign.
The KCAG and the UCLA Korean-American United Students for Education
and Services hope to raise awareness on campus and make changes in
North Korea before things get much worse. "There isn’t a big,
strong Korean organization on campus getting this information out,"
said Song. "So it’s been hard, really discouraging." Members fear
that if the rate of relief continues to be poor, the famine could
become worse than the fatal Ethiopian famine of 1985. So, every
effort is an important step for these campaigners. Rally-fasts
similar to the one held at the federal building were held
nationwide this weekend in cities such as San Francisco, Boston,
and Washington, DC. Participants were only allowed to consume water
for 24 hours. "It’s a little difficult," said Kang. "But compared
to the suffering of the men and women in North Korea, it’s not that
bad. At least we have the luxury of being able to eat at 6 a.m. the
next day; they don’t." Song seemed to agree. "Compared with the
suffering in North Korea, 24 hours without food is kind of weak,"
she said. The night before her fast began, Song laughed, "It’s
okay. I think I’ll be all right." Thomas Hong (top left) encourages
donations for the "Campaign to Stop Famine in North Korea."
Campaigner Alyssa Kang (top right) addresses the crowd, which
gathered Monday outside the federal building to push for a
necessary increase in U.S. aid, from $25 million to $126
million.