Major trouble is building in the secretive state according to South Korea, and this time it has nothing to do with the threat of war but a problem it has faced before.
North Korea is releasing emergency military rice reserves as its food shortage worsens, according to South Korea's spy agency, with a heatwave and drought reducing the country's supply.North Korea is about one million tonnes short of food for its people according to South Korean intelligence
The country's moribund economy is continuously being battered by the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, and while mass starvation and social chaos have not been reported, observers expect further deterioration of North Korea's food situation until the autumn harvest. The NIS said North Korea's leadership views fighting the drought as "a matter of national existence" and is focusing on increasing public awareness of its campaign, Mr Ha said.
He said rice prices are "considerably unstable" in North Korea because the government has a limit in supplying such rice. The NIS has a spotty record in confirming developments in North Korea, one of the world's most secretive countries. But its latest assessment came after Mr Kim admitted his country faces the "worst-ever" crisis due to the pandemic and other difficulties and even a possible dire food shortage.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why North Korea isn't competing in this year's OlympicsFor the first time since 1988, North Korea is missing from the Olympic Games. Experts told Dateline the nation’s absence could be a symptom of greater issues...
Read more »
South Australians in Queensland urged to return, as restrictions loosenSouth Australia has further loosened some of its coronavirus restrictions, two weeks after a Delta virus outbreak scare.
Read more »
Sydney's COVID-struck south-west has some of the lowest vaccination rates in NSWFederal government data released on Tuesday shows some affluent areas in Melbourne and Sydney have higher COVID-19 vaccination rates than some of the cities' lower-income areas.
Read more »
South-east Queensland just had its toughest lockdown ever extended. Here's what that meansThe lockdown for people living in 11 local government areas from the Sunshine Coast to the NSW border is in force until the weekend. This one is tougher than ever before. Here's what you can and can't do.
Read more »
Why North Korea isn't competing in this year's OlympicsFor the first time since 1988, North Korea is missing from the Olympic Games. Experts told Dateline the nation’s absence could be a symptom of greater issues...
Read more »
Worse than the Great Depression, this nation is in the most dire collapse the world has seen in 150 yearsAs their country spirals into economic collapse, many in Beirut say they face four-hour waits for fuel as well as food and medicine shortages, blackouts and job uncertainty.
Read more »