The unexpected weakness of the North Korean army

Prolonged sanctions and drought threaten to make life miserable for millions of North Koreans, including the country's military.

The Guardian newspaper, citing information from UN organizations and people with contacts in North Korea, said that a drought that devastated crops in early summer this year will make it impossible for North Korea to have enough food to feed its people, including its soldiers.

The North Korean army currently has more than 1 million active soldiers. Photo: Reuters

Jiro Ishimaru is a Japanese documentary filmmaker who has a network of citizen journalists inside North Korea, equipped with smuggled mobile phones.

He said that while living standards have improved for some under Kim Jong Un's leadership, many of North Korea's 25 million people now face food shortages. Some are at risk of losing their jobs because of new international sanctions.

“The other problem is that there are too many soldiers to feed,” Ishimaru told The Guardian at his Asia Press office in Osaka city.

Ishimaru said he had been in contact with several collaborators about living conditions in North Korea earlier this month. "One of them told me there was talk of war with the US but many North Korean soldiers were in poor health and not fit to fight," he said.

North Korea often suffers severe droughts. Photo: REX/Shutterstock

Concerned about the prospect of widespread malnutrition and disease in North Korea after the country suffered its worst drought since 2001, the United Nations has approved $6.3 million in aid to help the isolated country cope with shortages of corn, rice, potatoes and other crops.

Recently, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea also reported on "prevention battles" being carried out to prevent "a terrible drought" that began in May.

In a special warning in July, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that North Korea’s early crop production had fallen by about a third compared to the same period last year. Without rain, North Korea’s food security will deteriorate further.

According to Vietnamnet.vn