Food prices in North Korea have risen to higher than pre-pandemic levels, suggesting supply shortages, a U.S. website monitoring the country has said.
The report by 38 North released Friday (local time) added to recent concerns of food shortages in the reclusive country, which has faced economic hardship from sanctions and self-imposed COVID-19 border restrictions.
"The overall picture suggests that market prices, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting border closure by the North Korean government, have moved to a consistently higher level, which indicates that the country's overall food supply is lower," the report read.
It found that prices for rice and corn in the country began to increase in October 2020 after it closed its borders in January that year to prevent the spread of COVID-19, citing price data gathered by Rimjingang, an online news outlet with sources inside North Korea.
Rice prices, which hovered at 3.5 renminbi (RMB) per kilogram before the pandemic, rose to move between 4 and nearly 6 RMB per kg in late 2020 and early 2021, and shot up to as high as 15 RMB in mid-2021.
Prices moved to around 5 RMB per kg at the end of last year, a 42 percent rise from the normal level before the pandemic.
Corn prices, which were about 1 to 1.5 RMB per kg pre-pandemic, have followed a similar trajectory. Since late last year, prices have moved to between 2.3 and nearly 3 RMB per kg.
"None of this is evidence of widespread famine in North Korea," the report read. "Nevertheless, the fact that the country is experiencing a significant food shortage seems beyond doubt."
Source: Yonhap News Agency