UNITED NATIONS — Amid severe food shortages affecting up to a quarter of the population, horrific human rights abuses, and an expanding and costly nuclear weapons program, the United Nations has tried to respond to North Korea with a combination of carrots and sticks.
U.N. humanitarian agencies have warned that approximately 5 million North Koreans face food shortages "despite a relatively good harvest." An assessment by the Rome-based World Food Program found that the country confronts a 542,000-ton food deficit. The relief agency recommends sending 305,000 tons of food aid to the most vulnerable people.
"The cereal rations provided by the government through its public distribution system will likely contribute about half of the daily energy requirements," Joyce Luma, WFP chief of food security analysis. "A small shock in the future could trigger a severe negative impact and will be difficult to contain if these chronic deficits are not effectively managed."