There is a serious food crisis in North Korea. People have to starve. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has formally admitted for the first time that his country is facing a severe food shortage. He said in a meeting of senior leaders of his party, the situation of people’s food is becoming tense now. Kim said that North Korea could not achieve the target of grain production because of the floods caused by typhoons that struck last year, which resulted in no production.
The prices of food items in the country are touching the sky. A kg of bananas costs Rs 3,336, Similarly, the price of a packet of black tea has shot up to Rs 5,167 and that of coffee to more than over 7,381, approximately. A kg of corn is said to be selling at Rs 204.81 in the country.The crisis in North Korea also became serious due to the Corona pandemic as it closed its border with neighboring countries. Most of North Korea’s goods come from China, but due to Corona, it has also sealed China’s border. Because of this trade with China decreased. North Korea depends on China for food, fertilizer and fuel. Apart from this, North Korea is also struggling with international sanctions which were imposed due to its nuclear programs.
Kim Jong asked officials to find ways to increase agricultural production. This statement of dictator Kim Jong has come at a time when he has become a topic of discussion all over the world due to his low weight. North Korean news agency KCNA said on Tuesday that Kim Jong Un opened the plenary session of the ruling Workers’ Party. During this, he warned the party workers about the food crisis.
Agricultural production has decreased in North Korea, but Kim told the meeting that the country’s industrial output has increased compared to the past year. Relations with the US and South Korea were also to be discussed in the meeting, but the details have not been given yet. Kim also admitted in April this year that his country was going through difficulties, which was considered a rare thing.
He then told the officials to start a ‘difficult march’ again to give some relief to his people from the hardships. The term was used in North Korea in the 90s when the country was reeling under severe famine. Then after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, North Korea stopped getting help. There is no clear information about how many people died of starvation during that famine, but it is believed that this number must have been around three million.