Helping them is a matter of urgency. Floods accelerated decline in food supply U.N. representatives visited the southern part of North Korea, an area badly affected by flooding in 1995. Those floods accelerated a long, chronic decline in North Korea's food supply, triggering a food shortage that has affected almost the country's entire population of 24 million. In order to survive, people are eating dried leaves and roots. The daily government ration amounts to about a bowl of rice per day.
Meat is almost non-existent.
One woman told the U.N. team that her family had not had meat since August 1995. North Korean farmers are struggling to ready their land for crops this month, but lack of fuel and the deaths of many farm animals are slowing down the work. Correspondent Andrea Koppel contributed to this report. Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you.