GETTY Russia is reported to have donated 800 tonnes of flour to North Korea

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Citing the Facebook page of the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang, the Washington-based Radio Free Asia has said a Russian ship carrying the wheat flour arrived in North Korea’s port city of Chongjin on Monday. North Korea is heavily sanctioned under UN resolutions for its nuclear and missile tests. However, it is understood that the wheat flour has been provided through the UN’s World Food Programme.

The secretive state has been hurt financially by international sanctions that prohibit the sale of military equipment and luxury goods. Despite this, the wheat flour donation is intended to be used to make dietary supplements for North Korea’s most vulnerable people, including children in the country’s Kangwon and Ryanggang provinces. Earlier this year, a UN report revealed that roughly two in five North Koreans are undernourished.

GETTY It is understood that the wheat flour has been provided through the UN’s World Food Programme

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The report also showed that more than 70% of the country’s population relies on food aid. It has been estimated that 18 million people across the country continue to suffer from food insecurity and undernutrition as well as a lack of access to basic services. The isolated nation has a population of approximately 25 million and has faced food shortages for several years.

GETTY Two-thirds of North Koreans still depend on food being distributed by the state