North Korea's Kim flags 'tense' food situation in country due to COVID-19 and typhoon

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 15 has flagged a “tense” food situation in the country caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, typhoons witnessed last year. As per North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, Kim also noted that the country’s economy has surged from that of last year but warned regarding the food situation as he chaired a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party’s central committee on Tuesday. The committee convenes to reportedly set goals and tasks to achieve its five-year economic plan which was unveiled in February including food and metal production.

According to the report, the North Korean leader told the meeting that the overall economy of the country had improved in the first half of the year and the total industrial output grew 25% from that of a year before. However, Kim noted that “a series of deviations” that the party faced in implementing the plans due to a range of obstacles while singling out tight food supplies. KCNA quoted Kim as saying, “The people’s food situation is now getting tense as the agricultural sector failed to fulfil its grain production plan due to the damage by typhoon last year.”

Further, North Korea’s Workers’ Party pledged to direct all its efforts to farming this year along with discussing ways to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The North Korean leader also called for steps to reduce the devastating impact of natural disasters in the country as a crucial aspect to achieve the goals set for this year. Earlier, in January, Kim had admitted that the previous five-year economic plan had failed in almost every sector amid food shortages and crippling sanction, COVID-19 and natural disasters.

Kim’s appearance causes triggers health speculation

(Image credits: AP)

While Kim also informed the country to prepare for extended COVID-19 restrictions and food shortages, the North Korean leader’s thin appearance additionally triggered health speculations. As per the Associated Press report, the 37-year-old faced fresh uncertainty in the South about his health because he appeared evidently slimmer. Reportedly, Kim’s health matters in Seoul, Washington, Tokyo and other world capitals because he has not publicly appointed his successor to lead the secretive country. 

Hence, all eyes were on Kim as the images of his Tuesday meeting were released the next day and showed that Kim lost a large amount of weight. Some observers have reportedly said that Kim who is about 170 centimetres (5 feet, 8 inches) tall and has previously weighed 140 kilograms or 308 pounds, appeared to have lost about 10-20 kilograms or 22-44 pounds. Hong Min, a senior analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification said that it is not a sign of illness but of improved health of the leader.

“If he was experiencing health problems, he wouldn’t have come out in public to convene the plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party’s Central Committee,” a major political conference this week that is expected to last two to three days, Hong said.

IMAGE: AP