North Korea holds rare meeting on farming amid food shortage

By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un opened a major political conference dedicated to agriculture, state media reported Monday, amid outside assessments that suggest the country is facing a serious shortfall of food. North Korea’s official media said Monday that the committee will meet for at least another day as members debate unspecified “urgent tasks” involving economic development. While experts have seen no signs of a famine in North Korea, they believe its current food shortage is the worst since Kim took power in 2011.