When one thinks of North Korea, the narrative that often comes to mind is that it is a cloistered country with an ambitious nuclear program, a testy human rights record and a population that is going hungry.
But while the country certainly needs humanitarian support, the situation there is not as dire as most people believe.
Despite decades of trade, travel and banking sanctions from the U.N. Security Council and major economic powerhouses — including the United States, the European Union and Japan — Pyongyang has been able to grow its economy in recent years, albeit modestly. Data from Seoul, South Korea-based Bank of Korea notes real gross domestic product improved 1.1 percent in 2013, after growing 1.3 percent the year before.
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About the author
Fragkiska Megaloudifran221175
For almost two years, Fragkiska lived in Pyongyang and she has published several analysis and reports on the humanitarian situation and daily life in North Korea. She has worked for the U.N. OCHA in the Philippines and IRIN news in Thailand. She has also lived in Jordan and Uganda where she worked for international aid organizations. She holds a doctorate in anthropology from EHESS or the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris and is a former lecturer at the University of Western Australia.
