North Korea on the brink of a humanitarian disaster | Chronic

The greatest danger facing North Korea today is not a possible nuclear war with the United States or a bombing of its southern neighbor, but the terrible drought that has plunged the country to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. .

The North Korean authorities have begun to see the first effects of what they expected to be the worst in the country since they began collecting weather data, according to the official government television. Kim Jong-un.

If this trend does not reverse quickly, the harvest will be very small and if it were not to be replaced by international food aid, the country could experience a famine similar to that which occurred in the 90s, between 250 000 and 3 people have died. million people.

According to the records, between January and May, the number of millimeters of rain recorded was 42% of normal.

If these conditions are maintained, 40% of the population, or about ten million people, are on the verge of starvation, according to data from the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations for Food. Food and Agriculture (FAO).

As usual, South Korea is considering how to provide food aid to the north and try to address food shortages and keep the peace process with Pyongyang, currently at a standstill, alive.