A report says North Korea's current food shortage is worse than the famine in 1990 that killed millions. The International Food Policy Research Institute report puts the famine index this year at 19, the same as last year and considerably higher than the 15.7 mark recorded in 1990.

The index is marked on a scale of 0, meaning no starvation, to 100, meaning the entire population is suffering from hunger. Any score over 10 is considered serious.

The institute said North Korea has failed to eradicate famine because it is implementing the wrong policies in agriculture, food security and public health.