Child Nutrition of the Unified Korea

Seoul National University Unification Studies Research Series – 7

Authors: Lee Yeon-Sook, Yoon Ji-Hyun, Shim Jae-Eun, Jang Su-Jung

Book Introduction

Because the dietary environment of North Korean society has been directly affected not only by changes in the situation in the North but also by changes in international relations with the South, it is not easy to pinpoint and predict nutritional issues in the country. During the “Arduous March” period of the 1990s, a sense of crisis in North Korea’s food problems and economic conditions aroused international attention. In 1998, a nationwide nutrition survey of children was conducted for the first time by international organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Since then, technical support from international organizations has made possible nutrition surveys of children conducted independent of the North Korean government. However, according to the report, there were many limitations on the analysis of the changes in children’s diet and nutrition status due to contradictory or insufficient measurement data or assessment indicators. Furthermore, comprehensive literature that reports on the dietary life and nutrition problems of North Koreans post-2000 is lacking, and the overall analysis and review are insufficient.

Using recent survey reports as a basis, this book emphasizes that the nutritional status of North Korean children has been identified. It says that the issue of improving nutrition for children, who will be the main agents of any future integration between North and South Korea after unification, is an urgent task to be decided before unification.

The book first examines the status of child nutrition in North Korea. Health problems and nutrition-related laws and policies are explained in depth. Second, the book attempts a comparative analysis between the North and the South. Third, it presents a nutritional policy review of various countries around the world and the example of unified Germany. Finally, by proposing the prospects and measures for nutrition problems for South and North Korean children after unification, the book provides the necessary information and essential data to establish child nutrition policies after unification.

Publication Date: 2010.