In the 1990s the citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) endured a devastating famine. Poor economic planning and structural problems left the country unable to feed its people, resulting in an estimated 1 million deaths. Floods and droughts in the mid-1990s provided the regime with an external source of blame. The DPRK had long been a recipient of fraternal assistance, particularly from China and the Soviet Union, but in 1995 launched its first wide-scale international appeal. In the decades since, the DPRK has hosted at least 180 international organizations (IOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working