Severe drought adds pressure to North Korea’s food supply

North Korea’s state media says much of the country is grappling with an unusually severe drought, raising concerns about worsening food shortages in the already isolated nation of more than 26 million people.

The government is scrambling to protect crops as dry conditions intensify. "An unusual drought has recently persisted across much of the country, a phenomenon rarely seen in previous years," Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, as cited by South Korean media outlets.

"Workers across various regions are concentrating all efforts on protecting early-season crops from the drought," it added.

According to KCNA, local authorities have begun repairing reservoir gates and irrigation systems, while also introducing “technical measures” to improve the resilience of key crops such as wheat and barley.

North Korea’s fragile infrastructure leaves it especially vulnerable to natural disasters, and extreme weather has long compounded the country’s chronic food insecurity. Sanctions, prolonged border closures and limited access to agricultural inputs have only deepened the problem.

Back in February, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights Elizabeth Salmon warned that food shortages were already a serious concern. UN agencies estimate that millions of North Koreans remain undernourished and highly exposed to shocks such as droughts and floods.

In a separate dispatch, KCNA reported that Premier Pak Thae Song had carried out on-site inspections at farms in South Pyongan and North Hwanghae provinces to review “countermeasures to minimize drought damage.”

Pak urged farm workers to make full and efficient use of available water resources, stressing that this year’s harvest will depend on overcoming the drought, KCNA said.

The crisis comes amid broader regional climate pressures. South Korea also experienced drought conditions last year, particularly in Gangneung province, alongside its hottest summer on record. Both Koreas recorded their warmest June temperatures to date. In the years from 2013 to 2015, a severe drought was also recorded across the Korean Peninsula.

In North Korea, frequent power shortages further complicate the situation, leaving many without access to air conditioning during extreme heat.

By Nazrin Sadigova