Four in 10 people in North Korea are estimated to be in urgent need of food assistance. North Korea’s state-run media reported that rainfall was at record lows for the first five months of the year, without saying when data collection began. The Rodong Sinmun followed that up on Tuesday by saying crops were dying and North Korea needed “revolutionary drought damage prevention measures”. But Taro Kono, Japan’s foreign minister, said last week it would be “premature” to send food aid as North Korea’s leadership was prioritising nuclear weapon and missile development over people’s welfare. Last Thursday, North Korea launched two projectiles that the Japanese government identified as short-range ballistic missiles.

Source: The Guardian May 14, 2019 05:15 UTC