What social programs does North Korea have?

Answer 1

As a totalitarian government where the general population is subject to extreme deprivation and sometimes starvation, North Korea does not have much in the way of social programs. Food rations, housing, healthcare, and education are offered from the state for free, but the state has had considerable trouble delivering on both food and health care. It has one of the worst human rights (if not THE worst) human rights records in the world as of 2011. Amnesty International reports:

North Koreans sent to prison camps and detention centers are often subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Prisoners are punished if suspected of lying, not working fast enough or forgetting the words of patriotic songs. Forms of punishment include beatings, forced exercise, sitting without moving for prolonged periods of time and humiliation. Due to the combination of forced hard labor, inadequate food, beatings, lack of medical care and unhygienic living conditions, many prisoners fall ill and die in custody or soon after release.

North Korea has a national medical service and health insurance system. According to the World Health Organization's last available figures, North Korea spent less on healthcare than any other country in the world - under US$1 per person per year in total. Since 1979 more emphasis has been put on traditional Korean medicine, based on treatment with herbs and acupuncture.

North Korea's healthcare system has been in a steep decline since the 1990s due to natural disasters, economic problems, and food and energy shortages. Many hospitals and clinics in North Korea now lack essential medicines, equipment, running water and electricity. Amputation and other major surgeries carried out without anesthesia are just one indication of the dire state of North Korea's healthcare system, a new Amnesty International report has found. The North Korean government still claims that its healthcare system is free for all, but many witnesses told Amnesty International that they have had to pay for all services since the 1990's, with doctors usually paid in cigarettes, alcohol or food for the most basic consults, and taking cash for tests or surgery.

Among other health problems, many North Korean citizens suffer from the after effects of malnutrition, caused by famines related to the failure of its food distribution program and "military first" policy. A 1998 United Nations (UN) World Food Program report revealed that 60% of children suffered from malnutrition, and 16% were acutely malnourished. As a result, those who suffered during the famines during the 1990's have ongoing health problems.

Almost 100% of the population has access to water and sanitation, but it is not completely potable. Infectious Diseases, such as tuberculosis, malaria, and hepatitis B, are considered to be endemic to the country. Life expectancy in North Korea is 63.8 years, occupying the 170th place in the world, according to 2009 estimates. Recognizing that the political and military elite of the country get the bulk of the care, and thus have longer lives, significantly skewing the average life expectancy upward relative to the general population, the average North Korean has an even lower life expectancy. In the 1990's North Korea faced significant economic disruptions, including a series of natural disasters, economic mismanagement and serious resource shortages after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc which had heavily subsidized it with food supplies and economic aid. Severe food shortages compounded by the official policy of keeping the military supplied no matter what happened to the rest of the population led to the deaths of between 300,000 and 800,000 North Koreans per year during the three year famine, peaking in 1997 - mostly from famine related diseases such as pneumonia, TB, and vitamin deficiencies.

Education in North Korea is free of charge. Compulsory education lasts eleven years, and encompasses one year of preschool, four years of primary education and six years of secondary education. The school curriculum has both academic and political content. Higher education is not compulsory in North Korea. It is composed of two systems: academic higher education and higher education for continuing education. The academic higher education system includes three kinds of institutions: universities, professional schools, and technical schools. Graduate schools for master's and doctoral level studies are attached to universities, and are for students who want to continue their education. Positions at the universities, professional schools, and technical schools are allocated by a combination of academic performance in pre-college schooling and political connections.

Answer 2

North Korea has several social programs in place, including universal healthcare, education, housing, and food distribution systems. However, these programs are heavily controlled by the government and often lack resources and infrastructure to adequately support the population. Additionally, access to these programs may be restricted based on loyalty to the regime.