Chronic food shortages are nothing new in North Korea, but closed borders, bad weather and sanctions have made the situation even worse in the past couple of years, the BBC writes.
According to North Korean state media, a meeting of officials is planned at the end of February to discuss fundamental changes in agricultural policy. This information comes at a time when North Korea continues to demonstrate its military capabilities.
It is reported that South Korean officials have also raised the alarm and called on the UN World Food Programme to provide assistance.
The satellite images available to the South Korean government show that in 2022, 180 thousand tons less food was grown in North Korea than in 2021.
In June, the World Food Program expressed concern about the impact of extreme weather conditions – prolonged drought and extensive flooding – on harvests. As expected, the poor harvest has caused food prices to rise, and residents are looking for cheaper alternatives. Rimjin-gang, a North Korean newspaper operating in Japan, reported that the price of corn had increased by 20% at the beginning of 2023. This is driven by growing demand.
North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world. However, the data are incomplete and do not reflect the real situation, taking into account the opacity of the economy of the authoritarian regime.
James Fretwell, a researcher at the American news agency NK News, said: «Due to North Korea’s strict Covid border measures on goods and people, there’s no way for any outsiders to go into the country and check for themselves what the situation is.» He added that, as a result, international organizations are unable to provide assistance.
Support from international aid organizations has declined. The UN informed that North Korea received aid in the amount of 2,3 million dollars last year, which is a significant decrease from almost 20 million dollars in 2021. Although this situation is mainly caused by closed borders, aid workers told the BBC that
international sanctions against North Korea, which have tightened since the country resumed missile tests, are also having an impact.
The North Korean regime is believed to focus primarily on demonstrating and building up its military power, as well as spreading propaganda, which also diverts funds needed by the country’s people. Sokeel Park, head of the South Korean non-profit organization Liberty in North Korea, said: «The regime has acknowledged how hard things are for ordinary North Korean people, but continues to prioritise propaganda and pageantry for the Kim family, missile launches, and strict controls on the population.»
Experts are worried that the situation will continue to deteriorate and lead to famines as devastating as in the early and mid-1990s. It is estimated that between 600 thousand and one million North Koreans starved to death at that time.