UN needs $98 million in emergency aid for North Korea

UN needs $98 million in emergency aid for North Korea

The United Nations coordinator for North Korea has called for $98 million in emergency aid to that country to reach the $150 million total needed to maintain food, health and sanitation programs for 2013, reports AFP. The country currently faces chronic food shortages, having suffered from devastating famine in the mid-1990s resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. "External assistance continues to play a vital role in safeguarding the lives of millions," UN resident coordinator Ghulam Isaczai said in a statement on Thursday. Nearly 2.4 million out of the country’s population of 24 million require regular food assistance, while 28 per cent of children under five suffer from malnutrition. International aid from the US and South Korea has been hit in recent years due to tensions over North Korea’s continuing nuclear program.