From printing coupons as replacement cash to breeding ornamental black swans to eat, North Korea is being forced to innovate to handle economic woes and food shortages as anti-pandemic border lockdowns drag on, reports suggest.
With the harvest coming to an end, international observers say North Korea's food and economic situation is perilous and there are signs that it is increasing trade and receiving large shipments of humanitarian aid via China.
South Korea’s intelligence agency told a closed-door parliamentary hearing on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had issued orders calling for every grain of rice to be secured and all-out efforts devoted to farming, according to lawmakers at the briefing.