KEI Board Member William Brown Cited in E&E News on North Korea's Food Crisis
April 11, 2019
Speaking to industry paper E&E News, KEI board member William B Brown (also non-resident fellow and frequent contributor to the Peninsula Blog) underscored that North Korea's explanation that the prospective food shortage in 2019 was caused by bad weather should be more heavily scrutinized. He points out that the regime has made it a habit to blame the weather when the inefficient agricultural system and the collapsing economy are the actual causes of food shortages. This is not to understate the impact of droughts and heavy rainfall, but Professor Brown highlights that "their choices have made them very dependent on weather."
As such, he cautioned against wholeheartedly believing the North Korean narrative as Pyongyang spins a new narrative to explain away its challenges this year.
Find the full article from E&E news here