Chronic food shortages in North Korea have led to increased concerns about starvation deaths. Experts have suggested that the country is at its worst since the 1990s famine known as the “Punishing March.”
Food shortages have fallen below the amount needed to meet minimum human needs, according to several sources. Even if food were distributed equitably, there would be famine-related deaths.
Although the country’s isolation makes it difficult to present solid evidence to support these claims, few experts doubt their assessment. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), nearly half of the North Korean population was undernourished before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The situation has worsened over the past three years due to border closures and isolation. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a four-day Workers’ Party meeting to discuss a revamp of the country’s agricultural sector, but several experts say Pyongyang has only itself to blame for the problems.
Kim’s efforts to further increase state control will only make matters worse. To improve the situation, open borders and trade are needed. But the regime does not want a burgeoning business class that could threaten its power. Constant missile launches and a refusal to accept offers of aid also aggravate the situation. The only way for North Korea to get out of this problem is to return to the dialogue table and accept its neighbor’s humanitarian offer.