North Korea have warned its citizens to brace themselves for a possible famine and extremely severe economic hardship in the comings months.
State-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun published an editorial saying that the “the road to revolution is long and arduous,” warning citizens that they may have to go “on an arduous march, during which we will have to chew the roots of plants once again,” in reference to the famine in the 1990’s which killed 3 million people.
Time.com reports:
Rodong Sinmun called for a “70-day campaign of loyalty” and reportedly demanded that the North Korean people demonstrate their allegiance to Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
To that end, the country is requiring all residents of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital city, to deliver about 2 lb. of rice to state warehouses each month.
The Telegraph reports that the country has also requested nearly half a million tons of food aid from other countries. As of last month, however, only 17,600 tons had arrived.