The United Nations has issued a report indicating that North Korea is on the verge of yet another famine. A typical North Korean citizen will spend up to a third of their monthly income to purchase a mere two pounds of rice. These already difficult living conditions have led to UNICEF reports about the stunted underdevelopment of North Korean children under Kim Jong-il’s reign. Despite the on-going food shortage, North Korea cut the donations from the World Food Program to a sixth of its previous capacity in recent years.

North Korea’s last famine spanned from 1995 through 1998 because of varying international politics, poor decision-making and natural disasters. Despite the isolated regime’s official claim that only 220,000 people perished of starvation, the United Nations believed more than a million people died during the three year famine. The survivors went on with shortened life spans and severe health issues from malnourishment; though the problem is largely unseen as the DPRK restricts the outside media from reporting and aide groups from assisting.