North Korea is facing a food crisis... again.

A North Korean farm. Reuters.

North Korea is facing a food crisis as a major crop shortfall forces them to cut rations. Reuters. North Korea is short 1.4 million tons of food. The country said it would import 200,000 tons of food and grow early crops adding up to 400,000 more tons. They also said they would cut daily rations from 500 grams per day to 300. The UN claims that 10.3 million people in North Korea are in need and 41% of the population is undernourished. North Korea blames extreme weather and sanctions for the poor harvest that caused the crisis. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump will meet next week in an effort to end North Korea's nuclear program. 

My Comment:

A food crisis in North Korea is so common that it usually isn't that notable, but the timing is. North Korea has faced this kind of thing before and their usual response is saber rattling. Doing so would often gain them aid from South Korea and other countries but that isn't in the cards this time around. 

Instead, I expect this to be an additional pressure onto the North Korean regime to get a peace deal done. Though I don't think all of North Korea's problems can be blamed on sanctions, it's clear that they are making things much worse. Cooperating with President Trump on the nuclear issue may allow some sanctions to be lifted and allow food aid to come into the country. It will also allow North Korea to export some things so they can get some much needed cash. 

I think that one of the reasons why North Korea decided to finally come to the negotiating table. Under President Trump, it was clear that throwing a temper tantrum wouldn't work. Doing so had a chance of causing a war so the North Koreans quite wisely decided to take a different path. 

As for the meeting, I do expect some kind of deal to be made. Most likely there will be an end to the Korean War, which only ended in an armistice and not a full peace deal. Doing so will be a major step and I am guessing that North Korea will also make major concessions on their nuclear programs. 

Remember, these summits are mostly for show. If there wasn't an agreement in place, it would be extremely unlikely that Kim Jong Un and President Trump would even meet. There may be some small details to work out but I am guessing they will come to an agreement. There is always a chance that the whole thing falls apart but I think that is unlikely. My guess is that North Korea will make a deal, especially with this food crisis happening at the same time.