BEIJING — North Korea is heading toward its worst food crisis since the 1990s because of flooding, successive crop failures and worldwide inflation for staples such as rice and corn, the U.N. World Food Program said Wednesday.
The agency shied away from predicting another famine like the one that killed up to 2 million people in the 1990s but said its field staff was observing some of the same warning signs.
People are again foraging for wild plants, grass and seaweed to supplement their meager diets. Hospitals are reporting an increase in illnesses often linked to malnutrition.
“We did go into the kitchens of some of these families, and believe me, there was nothing,” said Jean-Pierre de Margerie, the World Food Program’s country director for North Korea.
In May, the North Korean government asked the World Food Program to step up its relief efforts. The U.S. has also increased its assistance.
