WFP chief calls for intl. cooperation to improve N. Korea's food situation

The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday called for international cooperation to improve North Korea's food situation, raising concerns over a "growing threat" from extreme weather caused by climate change.

WFP Executive Director David Beasley made the remarks in a video keynote speech at a seminar in the northeastern county of Yanggu, referring to a series of droughts and floods that impacted North Korea's crop yields last year.

"We stand ready to respond to these sudden emergencies whenever, wherever they occur. But a successful program to improve food security in DPRK critically depends on international cooperation," he said. DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The global food situation is feared to worsen in the years to come, Beasley warned, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the climate change crisis.

North Korea is known for chronic food shortages that have been apparently aggravated in recent years due to typhoons, flooding and other abnormal weather conditions.

Though North Korea claims to be coronavirus-free, its tight border controls put in place to stave off the global pandemic are believed to be taking a toll on food supplies by making it hard to import grains and necessary materials for its citizens. (Yonhap)