UN: 11 million North Koreans undernourished

Widespread food insecurity in North Korea has contributed to an estimated 11 million people being undernourished in the country, according to a United Nations report released Wednesday.

The report from the head of the U.N.’s North Korea office found that roughly 43 percent of the nation’s population does not receive proper nutrition. In addition, the report found that a lack of clean water and access to health care threatens the lives of many children with curable diseases.

{mosads}Tapan Mishra, the author of the report, said, “Widespread undernutrition threatens an entire generation of children, with one in five children stunted due to chronic undernutrition.”

She noted the country has a lack of arable land and limited access to modern farming equipment, leading to shortfalls in agricultural production.

About 40% of people in #DPRKorea don’t have access to clean drinking water.

Ms. Lee was one of them…until a humanitarian agency came to her village.

The 2019 Needs&Priorities calls for US$120 to assist 3.8M people:https://t.co/3Qi41EHc5g#InvestInHumanity #DPRK #NorthKorea pic.twitter.com/WUilDP5tqr

— UN OCHA Asia Pacific (@OCHAAsiaPac) March 6, 2019

The Associated Press reported that the U.N. humanitarian team in North Korea is calling for $120 million in aid to assist the country. The nation has long been an area of concern for human rights watchdogs.

The report on the dire state of affairs in North Korea comes on the heels of a summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The president has made the promise of a brighter economic future for North Korea the centerpiece of his pitch to get Kim to abandon his nuclear arsenal. The two sides, however, were unable to come to an agreement last week.