North Korea is experiencing the worst spring drought in years. This was reported by the Korean edition of Voice of America (VOA) on May 4, citing satellite imagery from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The agency’s global index reportedly indicates that the drought began in March and worsened between Apr. 17 and 23. With the exception of parts of the South Hamgyong and South Hwanghae provinces, the drought in all of North Korea’s regions is classified as either “high” or “severe.”
A Daily NK reporting partner in South Pyongan Province provided a description of the situation on the ground on Apr. 20. “Because of the drought, wells are lowering, and people have access to tap water at most three or four days a week,” he said. “Dust clouds are rising from the dry fields and paddies, so farmers can’t plant seeds right away.”
The optimal window for planting rice beds and sowing major field crops such as corn and potatoes is usually in April. The drought could therefore have a devastating impact on North Korea’s already sparse food supplies in the coming months.
North Korean leadership has acknowledged the seriousness of the situation
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported in February that Pyongyang had cut rice rations to the military for the first time in the 21st century.
VOA also cited a KCTV-appearance by Dokgo Hyeok-Cheol, head of the State Hydro-Meteorological Administration, in which he said that only half the usual amount of rain fell in North Korea between Feb. 26 and Mar. 29.
On Apr. 4, North Korean Premier Kim Tok-Hun convened an expanded cabinet meeting to discuss drought response measures. Since then, Kim has been inspecting farms, power plants, housing facilities and machinery factories around the country, according to the state-run Rodong Sinmun.
The North Korean publication also appealed to farmers on Apr. 17 that “preemptive preparations must be made to deal with drought, rather than relaxing just because one has created groundwater facilities. Realistic measures must be studied to reduce damage from drought or floods.”
China as a last resort?
Moreover, analyses by VOA and the South Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily show that North Korea has recently begun importing large quantities of rice from China.
As the latter noted, China exported 29,16 million tons of rice to the North in the first three months of this year – much more than the 23,89 million tons of rice it sent to the regime in 2022.
According to VOA, North Korea imported 46,000 tons of rice in April alone, more than double the previous month’s total.
The 2023 drought is worse than last year’s
A comparison of NOAA satellite data from April 2022 with the latest imagery showed that the current drought is outpacing last year’s, said VOA. The 2022 drought began in April in the two Hwanghae provinces and lasted until May.
At that time, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced that the resulting food shortage in North Korea was estimated at about 860,000 tons, equivalent to two to three months of supply.
Edited by Robert Lauler.
