Natalie Swartz
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kalamazoo Central High School
UNDP Topic 2: Eradication of Poverty
In July of 2019, the United Nations Development Programme released its annual report on multi-dimensional poverty world-wide. This report concluded that 23.1%, or 1.3 billion people, across the world, were multi-dimensionally poor, a distinction which relied on total scores covering subjects stemming from health, education, and basic standards of living. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), poverty has near vanished since the Korean War, because of the introduction of a centralized command economic system, and development of new infrastructure, manufacturing, and buildings for education. The economic system put in place in the DPRK allows for public ownership of industry, a characteristic of the capitalist “free market,” while also allowing the government to regulate production, distribution, prices, etc. This sort of regulation is what prevents homelessness and unemployment in the nation, while also giving the citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea access to free education and university.
In regards to not only dealing with the after-affects of poverty worldwide, but also stopping it before it starts, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea recommends for the development of economic structures, like those used in the DPRK, which can limit the unemployment and homelessness, two large factors contributing to the characteristics of multi-dimensional poverty. More factors of multi-dimensional poverty are education and standards of living, both of which can be aided by the economic plan suggested previously. If the economy is controlled by the government, then profits from the economy, through taxes or otherwise, can be used back on the community to develop schools, universities, roads, power grids, public buildings, and more to combat against poverty in nations. This has proven very successful in the DPRK, where all of the citizens are provided for. It is known that poverty does not exist in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and that fact largely stems from the controlled economy of the nation. The main cause of poverty in other nations around the world is their economic system, most being capitalism, wherein citizens are not provided for and then the economy soon after crumbles because of the working class being neglected.
- Natalie Swartz
