N. Korea wants more control over farming amid food shortage

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to strengthen state control over agriculture and make all available efforts to increase grain production. But experts say it won’t effectively address a worsening food shortage. Prospects for quickly resolving its food insecurity are dim as the country maintains restrictions on the operation of markets and devotes much of its scarce resources to its nuclear program. Experts still say they see no signs of imminent famine or mass deaths. State media said Thursday that, during a recent four-day ruling Workers’ Party meeting, Kim said his government sees agricultural development as a matter of strategic importance.