N. Korea wants more control over farming amid food shortage

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

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to strengthen state control over agriculture and make all available efforts to increase grain production, as the country faces a worsening food shortage. The prospect for an early resolution of the North’s food insecurity is still dim, as the country maintains restrictions on the operation of markets and devotes much of its scarce resources to its nuclear program. Experts still say they see no signs of imminent famine or mass deaths. During a recent four-day ruling Workers’ Party meeting, state media said Thursday Kim said his government sees agricultural development as a matter of “strategic” importance.