N. Korea pushes rice transplanting drive amid food shortages

SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea urged its people to intensify efforts toward this year's grain harvest, state media reported Monday, as the country continues to grapple with food shortages. In an editorial, the Rodong Simnun, the ruling Workers' Party's main newspaper, called on the public to "concentrate all efforts on rice transplanting and completing it in a timely manner" in order to meet annual grain targets. The paper described rice transplanting as "a key business" in achieving production goals and fulfilling directives from the party's key congress, held in February. It stressed agricultural output is central to the party's agenda, invoking leader Kim Jong-un's stated priority that "the most urgent job facing us is to resolve people's food problems by farming the land well." North Korea typically begins rice farming in mid-March, with the transplanting phase wrapping up by late May or early June. It routinely deploys soldiers and students alongside civilian laborers during the transplanting season. North Korean farmers are seen working on the rice field in Kaepung County, Hwanghae Province, North Korea, on May 11, 2026. (Yonhap) jaeyeon.woo@yna.co.kr(END)