Balanced News: Food shortage spreads in North Korea, with some starving farmers unable to work

A food shortage in North Korea is spreading, with up to 30% of farmers in two northern provinces unable to work due to hunger, according to sources inside the country. Drought and a lack of imports from China due to a prolonged border closure during the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened the situation. Most farms in North Korea are collective ventures, but last year the government distributed a plot of land to each family to cultivate to avoid potential virus transmission. Around 42% of the North Korean population is malnourished due to food shortages, the UN reports.