Food insecurity in North Korea
- Dec 12, 2024
- 2 min read
By: Madeline Choi
Due to North Korea’s political instability, along with its limited resources and humanitarian crisis, North Koreans experience extreme food insecurity. North Koreans regularly face mass hunger, experiencing extreme famines and restrictions on food. Without adequate relief and resources from their government, North Koreans are especially vulnerable to famines and are regularly left without access to food and ingredients necessary to create nutrient dense meals.
Due to this, North Koreans often resort to unconventional food options, including grass, to suppress their hunger. They rely on eating kimchi and grain to sustain themselves, preparing as much as they can before the harsh conditions of the winter that make growing food more difficult. “Luxury” foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meat are extremely scarce, and having access to these foods are a rare occurrence. Unfortunately, due to the limited available food, along with the lack of nutrients found in the foods that are eaten, North Koreans are left malnourished, leading to their starvation and in extreme cases, their death.
COVID-19 was amongst one of the worst times for North Koreans in terms of food. With borders closed and tighter restrictions imposed, this made it more difficult for food to be imported. Citizens had to rely on growing crops themselves, however, due to North Korea’s low quality soil and unfavorable weather conditions, this resulted in citizens experiencing difficulties in making ends meet. This furthered the food insecurity faced by North Koreans and resulted in harsher conditions for all.
According to a North Korean escapee, Jin, a top daily concern for North Koreans is finding food and feeding oneself and family. Jin states that it is often not a question of what will be eaten, but of “how can I fill my stomach today?” For Jin, as well as the vast majority of North Koreans, food remains a top priority and each day there remains the persistent struggle to find food.
In order for North Koreans to have better access to food and to diminish its mass food insecurity, the country would need to adopt several reforms. Due to the country’s inadequate infrastructure and agricultural machinery and supplies, it is difficult to farm and produce crops. Developing the country’s infrastructure is necessary to producing quality food for its citizens and in increasing the amount of food produced. Furthermore, North Korea spends the majority of its expenditure towards its military, funding its nuclear weapon programme and in developing other weapons. In allocating some of its weapons and military fund towards feeding its citizens, North Korea has the possibility of overcoming its food insecurity.
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