North Korea Has Two Months' Worth Of Food Left As Deadly Famine Risk Rises

North Korea could run out of food in just two months, with fears rising that the country is on the verge of another famine, that could kill millions.

Kim Jong-un even admitted there is a problem, addressing a meeting of senior leaders on Tuesday, he said: "The people's food situation is now getting tense."

He also said the agricultural sector had failed to meet targets for grain in 2020, with typhoons and floods blamed.

PA

NK News - based in Seoul - said that food prices have been hiked up, with a kilogram of bananas now costing $45 (£32).

The country was also forced to close its borders with China to prevent the spread of Covid-19, leading to shortages in food, fertiliser and fuel.

A recent report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) warned that the 'uncovered food gap is estimated at about 860,000 tonnes' of grain - the equivalent to two months' food.

The leader also warned citizens of another 'Arduous March'. This was the name given to the food crisis in the 1990s, which killed up to 3.5 million people.

In April, Kim said: "I made up my mind to ask the WPK (Workers' Party of Korea) organisations at all levels, including its Central Committee and the cell secretaries of the entire party, to wage another more difficult 'arduous march' in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little."

The North Korean dictator, who was reported to weigh around 308lbs back in 2020, suggested that rationing food could be a solution.

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Meanwhile, amid the food crisis and struggling economy, the country has cracked down on repression of its citizens.

Although global internet is banned, other outside influences have also been stopped. The dictator has brought in harsh sanctions on what young people watch, with K-pop banned - Kim previously described the genre as a 'vicious cancer' plaguing the youth of North Korea.

He believes it is corrupting young people, changing their 'attire, hairstyles, speeches and behaviours'.

Anyone guilty of watching South Korean TV dramas could see offenders - even high school students - serve between five and 15 years of hard labour, as reported by the BBC.

Disciplinary officers also roam the streets to make remove men with long hair or women with inappropriate clothing.

North Korean defector Jung Gwang-il told The New York Times: "Young North Koreans think they owe nothing to Kim Jong-un.

"He must reassert his ideological control on the young if he doesn't want to lose the foundation for the future of his family's dynastic rule."

Topics: World News, North Korea

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events before joining LADbible. In her spare time, Amelia likes music and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

@ameliasward