North Korea in need of food aid

South Korea said today it has offered aid worth nearly $5 million to North
Korea to help its neighbour recover from summer floods, signalling a continued thaw in tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korean state media said heavy rains and a tropical storm left widespread damages in the country's central region in June and July, leaving more than 8,000 people homeless.

The current flooding is only the latest natural disaster to hit the country.


“The country has been through a very severe winter, which damaged very significantly the winter crop,” said Marcus Prior, the World Food Programme Spokesperson for South and East Asia.

“Food stocks across the country are low. The next harvest is not expected until the end of September, early October. It will be November before that food is really on tables around the country,” he told Vatican Radio. “This is a difficult few months ahead, and why the World Food Programme has an emergency operation under way to reach 3.5 million of really the most vulnerable women and children, mostly with specialized nutritious food.”

Listen to the full interview by Marie Duhamel with Marcus Prior: