DHAKA: Reclusive North Korea said on Tuesday it has been hit by the worst drought in a century, compounding chronic food shortages in a country where the United Nations says almost one third of children under five are stunted due to malnourishment.

The North’s KCNA news agency said paddies around the country including the main rice farming regions of Hwanghae and Phyongan provinces were drying up due to lack of rainfall, reports The Strait Times.

Paddies require enough water to keep rice plants partially submerged to grow.

‘The worst drought in 100 years continues in the DPRK, causing great damage to its agricultural field,’ KCNA said, using the short form for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

BDST: 2136 HRS, JUN 16, 2015
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