Concern factory in N Korea will produce warm clothes

Concern has become the first Irish aid agency to set up operations in North Korea with the opening yesterday of a clothing factory in that country. The factory is to provide clothes designed to counter the harsh climate of Korea, where temperatures frequently drop to -20 degrees C. Millions of North Koreans have been suffering the effects of food shortages resulting from the failure of the harvest over the past three years.

The Concern team is led by Mr Mike McDonagh, a Clare man who is a veteran of many humanitarian crises throughout the world. He arrived in the capital, Pyongyang, at the weekend.

Concern's decision to start operations in North Korea followed months of delicate negotiations with the highly-secretive Communist regime. Up to now, the direct involvement of Irish agencies has been limited to monitoring and assessment.

The other main Irish aid agency, Trocaire, has raised more than £2.3 million this year in its appeal for North Korea. Most of this has been spent on food aid and blankets, which are being distributed through an Asian partner agency, Caritas Hong Kong.

Concern's chief executive, Mr David Begg, said the people of North Korea were suffering from a "progressively increasing level of malnutrition", but he stopped short of describing the situation as a famine. A Concern nutritionist spent three weeks carrying out an assessment of food needs in the country last month.

Raw materials for the clothing factory are being sourced in China and other neighbouring countries. The cost of producing clothes in this way is estimated at £6.50 for adults and £4 for a child.

Mr Begg said the situation was "remediable" and thousands of deaths could be avoided with the proper level of international support and domestic co-operation.