Plenum's agriculture focus suggests dire food shortages in North Korea: Analysts



News Plenum’s agriculture focus suggests dire food shortages in North Korea: Analysts Issues tied to domestic food supply featured prominently at party meeting, a possible sign of major economic problems Chad O'Carroll \| Chaewon Chung January 1, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Eric Lafforgue (Sept. 2011) \| A North Korean woman drying mushrooms on a road in Ryanggang province Kim Jong Un’s heavy focus on agricultural issues and rural development plans in December’s party meeting could suggest food supply issues are worsening in North Korea, analysts told NK News on Monday. The plenum, which wrapped up on Friday in time for in-depth New Year’s day coverage published in state media, paid significant attention to issues related to the DPRK’s domestic food production capabilities. “This report is unusual for a New Year’s statement in paying more attention to agriculture than all other sectors of the economy,” said Joshua Pollack, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

News

Plenum’s agriculture focus suggests dire food shortages in North Korea: Analysts

Issues tied to domestic food supply featured prominently at party meeting, a possible sign of major economic problems

Chad O'Carroll | Chaewon Chung January 1, 2022

Plenum’s agriculture focus suggests dire food shortages in North Korea: Analysts

Eric Lafforgue (Sept. 2011) | A North Korean woman drying mushrooms on a road in Ryanggang province

Kim Jong Un’s heavy focus on agricultural issues and rural development plans in December’s party meeting could suggest food supply issues are worsening in North Korea, analysts told NK News on Monday.

The plenum, which wrapped up on Friday in time for in-depth New Year’s day coverage published in state media, paid significant attention to issues related to the DPRK’s domestic food production capabilities.

“This report is unusual for a New Year’s statement in paying more attention to agriculture than all other sectors of the economy,” said Joshua Pollack, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

About the Authors

Chad O'Carroll

Chad O'Carroll is the founder of NK News/NK Pro and related holding company Korea Risk Group. In addition to being the group's CEO, O'Carroll is a frequent writer and commentator about the Koreas, having written about the two nations since 2010. He has visited the DPRK multiple times, worked and lived in Washington, D.C. with a focus on peninsula issues, and lived in the ROK since 2016.

View more articles by Chad O'Carroll EMAIL Twitter Got a news tip?Let us know!

Chaewon Chung

Chaewon Chung covers U.S., Chinese, and Japanese politics and national security in relation to North Korea. She previously worked at Coda Story covering disinformation and technology with a focus on the East Asia.

View more articles by Chaewon Chung EMAIL Got a news tip?Let us know!