Korea prays for a downpour
The summer season has finally arrived, but for many, the endless hours of sunshine are having a catastrophic effect. Indeed, the Korean peninsula hasn’t witnessed a summer like this in over 100 years. While the citizens of the south have a plentiful supply of food on the shelves, even if the agricultural industry is suffering, mass starvation due to failed crops in North Korea is proving a major concern.
Seoul is experiencing its worst drought in over a century, while mercury levels are at a 12-year high of 33.5 degrees. Outside the capital, in major cities like Incheon and Suwon, temperatures have been even higher, according to the national weather centre
In the eight weeks from 1 May to 19 June, cumulative rainfall in Seoul was 10.6mm _ just 6 per cent of the average for this time of year, according to the Korea Times. The impact of this on a city with a metropolitan population of over 20 million people is enormous. Water and energy shortages are close to getting out of control, forcing the government to release near daily warnings.
A fleet of more than 500 vehicles, from water tankers to privately owned cars, have been mobilised to spray water on trees and in city parks, and on Thursday 21 June, the government switched off the nation’s power for 20 minutes to combat the dangerously low rate of electricity generation.
It’s hard to believe that 12 months ago, almost to the day, the Han River burst its banks during a spectacular Sunday deluge, submerging bridges and washing out the riverside parks. In the lively neighbourhood of Itaewon, built on a slope high above the city, the force of ground water shifted cars along the streets.
In North Korea, the situation is even more critical. The UN’s food agency estimates that 3 million people are in need of urgent food aid, and with the extreme dry spell causing problems with the agricultural industry, that figure is expected to rise.
The June and July harvest of cereal crops, wheat, barley and potatoes is forecast to drop severely as the current drought has affected over 17 per cent of North Korean farms.
For North Korea, the timing could not be any worse, after US President Barack Obama extended economic sanctions against Kim Jong-un’s regime for what he called the north’s “unusual and extraordinary threat”.
Naturally, following this, local and world media cited a “rise in tensions” as US, Japanese and South Korean forces planned huge naval exercises off the south coast later in June. As ever, despite threats and regurgitated rhetoric, the situation has remained exactly the same as before.
Yet while noting the situation in North Korea, and the struggles faced by the agricultural sector in the south, there are often benefits as well as setbacks to every story. The country’s baseball championship was held at ransom to the atrocious 2011 summer, but postponed games for this year total about a dozen: not bad considering every team plays 133 times between April and October.
The tourism industry, too, will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief, not to mention the owners of bars and restaurants across the country.
But it is worth bearing in mind the awful conditions people in North Korea have to deal with, none more so than near the Chinese and Russian borders. They are essentially paying the price for the failed rocket and satellite launch in April.
As the rain continues to tumble down at home, think of the 75 million Koreans craving such a downpour.
Andrew Farrell works as an English language teacher in Korea.
