In an effort to combat the food crisis in the country, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has urged the people of the country to limit their food intake and “eat less” till 2025. The leader issued this statement in view of the soaring food prices in North Korea.
The lack of supply of proper food in North Korea, which is unable to meet the demand of the people living in the country, is the main reason why food prices are currently soaring in the country. Reports suggest that natural disasters and weak resilience, insufficient farming materials, and a low level of mechanization are the reason behind this food shortage.
Kim Jong Un blamed a ''series of deviations'' for singling out tight food supplies in the country, and said, “The people's food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfill its grain production plan.” Last year’s typhoon and the coronavirus pandemic have added to the food crisis.
Heavy rains recently hit parts of North Korea and Kim had mobilised the military to carry out relief work in these areas. As per a Radio Free Asia (RFA) report, a source said, “Two weeks ago, they told the neighborhood watch unit meeting that our food emergency would continue until 2025.''
The source further added, “Authorities emphasised that the possibility of reopening customs between North Korea and China before 2025 was very slim.” The Chinese border was closed by the authorities in 2020 amid the spread of COVID-19 across the world.
A meeting was conducted by the Worker's Party's Central Military Commission in South Hamgyomg to discuss the acute food crisis in the nation. According to the UN World Food Program, around 40 percent of the total North Korean population is estimated to be undernourished.
The RFA further reported that North Korea has been short of food this year by about 860,000 tons, which is about two months’ worth of food for the nation. Referencing the famine in 1994, leading Kim Jong Un urged the officials to wage another “Arduous March” of work and sacrifice this year.
