North Korea party meeting set to discuss ‘urgent’ food issue

Feb 5, 2023, 9:43 PM | Updated: Feb 6, 2023, 2:28 am

FILE - Farmers plant rice using rice seedling transplanter at Chongsan Cooperative Farm in Kangso D...

FILE - Farmers plant rice using rice seedling transplanter at Chongsan Cooperative Farm in Kangso District, Nampho, North Korea, on May 9, 2022. North Korea has scheduled a major political conference Feb. 2023, to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign that the country’s food insecurity is getting worse as its economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push. (AP Photo/Cha Song Ho, File)

(AP Photo/Cha Song Ho, File)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has scheduled a major political conference to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign of worsening food insecurity as the country’s economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Monday that members of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Politburo met on Sunday and agreed to hold a larger plenary meeting of the party’s Central Committee in late February to review strategies on agriculture and set new goals. It said the Politburo members acknowledged a “a turning point is needed to dynamically promote the radical change in agricultural development.”

“It is a very important and urgent task to establish the correct strategy for the development of agriculture and take relevant measures for the immediate farming … to promote the overall development of socialist construction,” the KCNA said.

The Politburo meeting came amid indications that the country was preparing to stage a massive military parade in Pyongyang, possibly this week, to glorify the rule of leader Kim Jong Un and his growing collection of nuclear-capable weapons, which he has aggressively pushed to expand despite limited resources and economic decay.

Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the South Korean military has been detecting “increased activity related to (parade) rehearsals” in the North, but declined to share a specific assessment on when the event would take place.

Although not unprecedented, it’s uncommon for North Korea to hold two different party plenaries in a span of two months. It’s also rare for North Korea to call a plenary meeting over a single agenda, this time agriculture, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesperson Koo Byoungsam said in a briefing.

“The government will closely watch North Korea’s food situation and internal trends,” said Koo. He said South Korea estimates that North Korean food production fell by about 4% in 2022 to 4.5 million tons.

Following the collapse of nuclear negotiations with the United States in 2019, Kim declared to strengthen his nuclear weapons and missile program against “gangster-like” U.S. sanctions and pressure and urged his nation to stay resilient in the struggle for economic self-reliance.

But the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed further shock on North Korea’s already broken economy, by forcing the nation to shield its poor healthcare system with strict border controls that choked off trade with China, its main ally and economic lifeline. The country was also hit with devastating typhoons and floods in 2020 that decimated crops.

In a study published on the North Korea-focused 38 North website last month, analyst Lucas Rengifo-Keller said food insecurity in North Korea is likely at its worst since the country’s 1990s famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

It’s difficult to establish an accurate assessment of North Korea’s humanitarian needs considering the closed nature of its regime and the poor quality of the limited statistics it discloses. But North Korea’s grain balance estimates issued by U.N. agencies and outside governments as well as possibly sharp increases in rice and corn prices observed by NGOs and media indicate that “country’s food supply has probably failed to satisfy minimum human needs,” Rengifo-Keller wrote.

Russia’s war on Ukraine likely worsened the situation by driving up global prices of food, energy and fertilizer, on which North Korea’s agricultural production is heavily dependent.

“Put simply, North Korea teeters on the brink of famine,” Rengifo-Keller said.

The Workers’ Party’s Central Committee also held a plenary meeting in December, when Kim doubled down on his nuclear ambitions by calling an “exponential increase” of nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nukes targeting rival South Korea and the development of more powerful long-range missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland.

Party members also during the meeting identified key economic projects for 2023, highlighted by agricultural and construction activities.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              The field of North Korea's Kaepoong town is seen from the Unification Observation Post in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on Jan. 27, 2023. North Korea has scheduled a major political conference on Feb. 2023, to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign that the country’s food insecurity is getting worse as its economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
            
              FILE - Farmers manage rice seedlings at the Namsa Co-op Farm of Rangnang District in Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 25, 2021. North Korea has scheduled a major political conference Feb. 2023, to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign that the country’s food insecurity is getting worse as its economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push.  (AP Photo/Cha Song Ho, File)
            
              FILE - Farmers plant rice using rice seedling transplanter at Chongsan Cooperative Farm in Kangso District, Nampho, North Korea, on May 9, 2022. North Korea has scheduled a major political conference Feb. 2023, to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign that the country’s food insecurity is getting worse as its economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push.  (AP Photo/Cha Song Ho, File)

AP

FILE - Gabby Petito's mother Nichole Schmidt, wipes a tear from her face during a news conference o...

Associated Press

Mother of man who killed Gabby Petito said in letter she would help son ‘dispose of a body’

The mother of the man who killed Gabby Petito told her son in an undated letter that she would “dispose of a body” if needed because she loved him so much, according to copies of the note shared publicly for the first time this week by attorneys for Petito's parents.

2 days ago

A member of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as The Old Guard, places flags in front of e...

Associated Press

5 things to know about Memorial Day including its controversies

Memorial Day is supposed to be about mourning the nation’s fallen service members, but it’s come to anchor the unofficial start of summer and a long weekend of discounts on anything from mattresses to lawn mowers.

2 days ago

FILE - This artist sketch depicts the trial of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, left, as he test...

Associated Press

Officers describe chaos, fear on Jan. 6 as judge weighs prison time for Oath Keepers’ Rhodes

Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and public servants who fled the mob's attack told a judge on Wednesday that they are still haunted by what they endured, as the judge prepares to hand down sentences in a landmark Capitol riot case.

3 days ago

Pride month merchandise is displayed at the front of a Target store in Hackensack, N.J., Wednesday,...

Associated Press

Target on the defensive after removing LGBTQ+-themed products

Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.

4 days ago

(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)...

Associated Press

Former Arizona television journalist announces bid for Schweikert’s US House seat

A former Phoenix television journalist announced her candidacy Wednesday for the congressional seat currently held by seven-term Republican Rep. David Schweikert.

4 days ago

Tortoise by Henry Davis earned an honorable mention in the "Adventures in Nature” student photo c...

Associated Press

When you adopt a desert tortoise, prepare for a surprisingly social and zippy pet

They’re not fluffy, they don’t play fetch and they certainly don’t roll over. But there is such a thing as a lap tortoise.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

North Korea party meeting set to discuss ‘urgent’ food issue