North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits Farm No. 1116 (Picture: REUTERS/KCNA)

North Korea is said to be on the brink of a catastrophic famine after suffering the worst drought in 16 years.

Poor rainfall and ruined crops mean the isolated country could soon require emergency food aid from overseas, according to the UN.

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Rain between April and June this year was lower than in 2001, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

‘More rains are urgently needed to avoid significant decreases in the main 2017 cereal production season,’ they wrote.


‘Should drought conditions persist, the food security situation is likely to further deteriorate.’

North Koreans work in a field (Picture: REUTERS/Jason Lee)

The hermit nation has long endured food shortages caused by the isolationist policy of the Kim dynasty.

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During the 1990s, a humanitarian crisis engulfed the nation and hundreds of thousands died.



The country was so malnourished that the army even reduced statuary height requirements for new recruits.

While the international community has recently focused on the Communist state’s weapons programme, including threats from President Donald Trump, it’s has been reported that old allies Russia continue to deliver more than 5,000 tons of flour to the impoverished nation.

A villager stands with her bicycle in front of an empty field (Picture: REUTERS/Bobby Yip)

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