Food shortages in North Korea turn office workers into farmers

In March, the United Nations urged Pyongyang to reopen its borders to aid workers and food imports, saying its deepening isolation may have left many facing starvation.

By Jill Pole
Reuters
04/05/2022

Excerpt:

North Korea’s office workers and factory labourers have been dispatched to farming areas around the country to join a fight against drought, according to state media.

The move comes amid concerns over prolonged food shortages.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for measures to improve the tense food situation in the country, caused by both the COVID-19 pandemic and typhoons, despite slight improvements early last year.

Drought and floods have long posed a seasonal threat to North Korea, which lacks irrigation systems and other infrastructure, and any serious natural hazards could cripple its reclusive economy already reeling from international sanctions and a near halt of trade.

The North’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper said government officials, company and factory workers joined hands with farmers nationwide in distributing pumping equipment and developing water resources in drought-prone regions.

It did not specify any damages so far, but said those efforts are aimed at countering an ongoing dry spell and bracing for an upcoming drought.

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