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North Korean soldiers at a military parade in Pyongyang
Photo: IMAGO / IMAGO/Kyodo News
According to the UN World Food Program, more than ten million people in North Korea are malnourished.
The corona pandemic has made the situation in the country, which has been under dictatorial rule for decades and plagued by food shortages, worse.
Now the propaganda apparatus of ruler Kim Jong Un is fueling fears of food donations from abroad again.
"It is a mistake to try to stimulate the economy and eat this poisoned sugar," wrote the state newspaper Rodong Sinmun, according to the Reuters news agency.
External economic aid from "imperialists" is a "trap for exploiting and oppressing," says the paper.
Hundreds of prisoners reportedly died
The comments are apparently in response to a report by the South Korean news agency Yonhap that around 700 inmates in several prisons in North Korea have died over the past two years due to malnutrition and diseases.
Yonhap had referred to an anonymous source for the information.
South Korea's unity ministry, which deals with relations with its northern neighbor, did not comment on the Yonhap report.
However, the ministry recently announced that there had apparently been an increase in deaths from starvation in North Korea.
"Food production is down from last year," said a ministry official.
There is also the possibility that there will be difficulties in the distribution of goods due to political changes.
The country, which is largely isolated internationally, only receives a limited amount of aid from abroad.
In the past, the regime rejected rice donations from South Korea, which could have alleviated the suffering.
According to information from South Korea, Pyongyang recently asked the World Food Program (WFP) for further support.
The UN organization did not comment on this.
According to WFP, each month it delivers special nutritional products to around one million pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children across the country to help fight acute and chronic malnutrition.
These are cereals or biscuits enriched with protein, fats and vitamins, which are delivered to hospitals, schools and kindergartens, for example.
Dictator Kim had recently increased the threats against the South and the USA and also shot down a long-range missile in the direction of Japan.
The country puts a large part of its budget into the military.
Most recently, the country apparently presented more ICBMs than ever before at a parade.
fek/Reuters