Research Reports
Assessment of the Fertilizer Aid Project for North Korea and Plans for Efficient Inter-Korean Cooperation in the Fertilizer Area
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AuthorKim, Younghoon
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Publication Date2014.12.30
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Original
Background of Research
South and North Korea are highly likely to promote a cooperation project for food and agriculture if inter-Korean relations are improved, and thereby aid to the North is resumed. This is because alleviating the North’s food shortage is at the core of inter-Korean cooperation.
Cooperation with North Korea for agriculture must go sequentially. In the shortterm, humanitarian aid is important, and agricultural development cooperation is necessary for raising agricultural productivity of North Korea in the mediumterm. If fruits from such cooperation lead to North Korean reform and opening up, large-scale assistance to improve agricultural structure and production base would follow.
Method of Research
This research included extensive reviews on previous literature, South-North Agreement, and the documents related to aid to the North. Several experts in the associations related to fertilizer helped research of the part for which literature and documents are not available. For controversy over the method and the procedure of fertilizer aids between South and North Korea, interviews with professionals in the Korean Red Cross and NGOs, who have directly implemented the fertilizer aids, were summarized.
Research Results and Implications
Chemical fertilizer aids to the North over 1999-2007 played a strategical role in managing inter-Korean relations. They also showed that the fertilizer aid system of South Korea has operated efficiently. If fertilizer aid is resumed in the future, the positive effects should be maximized through humanitarian aids as well as through various channels such as agricultural development cooperation projects.
Higher transparency in distribution is important for the fertilizer aid. South Korea should have enough time to discuss monitoring fertilizer distribution with the North before aid. It has to require North Korea to submit more detailed documents on transfer and distribution. Moreover, a new agreement on the range and the way to monitor fertilizer distribution is necessary. As a progress of such discussion and agreement depends on real inter-Korean relations, at first South Korea must demand what North Korea can accept and expand monitoring under advanced inter-Korean relations later.
An organic fertilizer aid plan has to be established for reducing the impediments revealed from the fertilizer aid experiences. It begins with a standardization of organic fertilizer. It is also important to verify a stable effect of organic fertilizer. Then, South Korea needs to show North Korea the stable effect through the organic fertilizer aid included in some of agricultural development cooperation projects. Finally it can gradually increase the organic fertilizer aid.
Transport costs of organic fertilizer should be lowered. If the organic fertilizer aid programs are carried out in the areas bordering South Korea, South Korea can avoid a high cost problem.
Nonetheless the level of the increase in organic fertilizer aid is limited. Aside from aid, another cooperation to produce organic fertilizer in North Korea (i.e. livestock farming cooperation) should be considered. This is expected to have a large synergy effect.
Researchers: Kim Young-hoon, Lim Su-kyoung
Research Period: 2014. 1.～2014. 10.
E-mail address: kyhoon@krei.re.kr
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