Are punishing sanctions really the way to deal with the Hermit Regime?

It’s not surprising that with so many sanctions facing North Korea that is now facing a food crises of almost half a billion tons of food. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has warned that the Hermit Regime has been forced to cut rations to half to its citizens and it is now facing a looming crisis that will affect the entire nation, and not just segments of it.

Kim has blamed a plethora of factors for the food shortage, including rising temperatures, prolonged drought, and of course, the punishing UN sanctions against the embattled state. Current sanctions against North Korea include Resolution 2087, which aimed to cut off North Korea from the international financial system.

Many of the previous sanctions focused on blocking and destroying cargo related to military research. The embargoes are carried out by UN member states. Additional embargoes that prevented the Hermit Regime from trading with ease with other states included blockades for exports of coal, seafood, and other commodities. North Korea is also limited to half a billion barrels of crude oil imports per year, and seizures are ordered on any sea vessels that are providing the same to the state.

The United Nations has taken steps to further understand the current situation of the country so that proper steps can be taken to alleviate the looming suffering of North Koreans. Unfortunately, the UN was only able to help a third of the population last year due to insufficiency of funding. Initially the United Nations had asked for a total of $111 million, but only a fourth of this was actually supplied to the supranational body.