UN WFP welcomes South Korea for donation of food aid to North Korea

South Korea has sent a landmark donation of 50,000 metric tons of rice and US$4.5 million in cash to support the North Korean people, who have been hit hard by droughts and poor harvests. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) thanked South Korea for its donation on Wednesday and pointed out that the North needs at least 300,000 metric tons of food, valued at around $275 million, to meet the country's humanitarian needs.

A food security assessment, released jointly by the WFP and UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in May, found that food production in 2018 had dropped dramatically, putting 10.1 million people at risk from severe food shortages over the coming months.