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The five aid groups say many North Koreans are foraging for wild grasses and herbs because of widespread food shortages. Seven experts from the groups visited North Korea earlier this month at the request of the government. They were given unprecedented access to assess the food situation, and report the worst winter in decades has killed key crops. At the same time, the team says, rising global food prices make it difficult for North Korea to import sufficient food.
Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Donggkuk University in Seoul, says it is unusual for North Korean authorities to allow such transparency. Kim says officials there have permitted a more objective view of the situation so the global community can know about the depth of the food shortage.
The five organizations are experienced in assisting the isolated state: Christian Friends of Korea, Global Resources Services, Mercy Corps, Samaritans Purse and World Vision. But in 2009 they were ordered to leave. The United Nations World Food Program says its supply for North Korea will be exhausted in about a month. WFP staff arrived in the North this week to conduct a fresh assessment of food needs.
The U.S. State Department says Washington is monitoring the situation but is not preparing to resume aid. The U.S. suspended aid two years ago because it suspected the donated food was being diverted to the military or otherwise not reaching those most in need. Washington and Pyongyang have no diplomatic relations. North and South Korea also have no formal ties and remain technically in a state of war since a 1953 truce that ended three years of conflict.
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