Wonsan is one of North Korea's three largest ports. A city of 350,000 inhabitants, Wonsan is attractively spread out along a bay that shelters the harbour. Wonsan is an industrial city with little or no food production within city limits. Food has been in short supply since flooding in the fall of 1996 destroyed much of the rice crop in the hilly agricultural area around the city. Thirty percent of the arable land around Wonsan received no rain in July, ruining the corn crop and perhaps damaging the rice crop.
Industry is at a standstill due to a lack of fuel and spare parts.
There is fish off the coast but according to the mayor, overfishing has depleted stocks close to land. Only a few ships sailing between China and Japan now stop in Wonsan. The effects of malnutrition on Wonsan's young can be seen at the Kaeson Nursery where about 14 percent of the 340 children are suffering from malnutrition. They need high-protein food and vitamins.