The role of civil society organizations in North Korea.

Civil society organizations (CSOs) have responded to the food crises in North Korea---the most isolated nation of earth---with humanitarian aid since the mid 1990s. The challenges to delivering beneficial aid are numerous and the way CSOs respond to these challenges depend upon the roles they have chosen to play. This paper reviews the history of North Korea from WWII to the current famine, reviewing its social, economic, and political development. It then examines the common challenges for CSOs working both within the borders of North Korea and outside its borders in the refugee community. Special emphasis is placed on the United Nations World Food Program that has operated the largest humanitarian effort within North Korea and the CSOs that have focused their response on the refugee community outside of North Korea. Also highlighted is an organization whose structure and vision provided a model from which other organizations can learn from and gave the author a firsthand view of its efforts inside and outside North Korea. Importantly, this paper answers several ethics questions from a faith-based perspective to a faith-based audience. Finally, there is a list of evaluations and recommendations given as practical advice for organizations considering their role and response to the North Korean crisis.