North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in unusually frank remarks last week said North Koreans "never enjoyed an abundant life" and added he "cannot sleep" when he thinks about their suffering.

The [North] Korean Central News Agency on Friday said Kim made the remarks as he revealed a paper he wrote on promoting North Korea's livestock industry.

Kim said the "most important task is to boost the living standards of North Koreans quickly," and developing the livestock and fisheries industries could go a long way to solving the North's chronic food shortages.

It is practically unheard-of for a North Korean leader to admit the hardships people suffer in the allegedly self-sufficient socialist paradise.