A/75/388 an e-book on commonly asked COVID-19 questions. 10 However, the campaigns did not provide information on the treatment of infected persons. The Government continues to strictly control all information in the media – newspapers, radio, television and the Internet – limiting citizens’ right to access full and unbiased news that directly affect their lives, including in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. C. Impact on the right to food 14. In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, 10.1 million people, 40 per cent of the population, were already living with food insecurity and in urgent need of food assistance in April 2019, 11 before the country was affected by COVID-19. While the country experiences a staple food shortage every year in spring ahead of the next harvest, it was particularly difficult in 2020 owing to the low harvest in 2019 coupled with the prolonged border shutdown since January 2020. The price of food has increased, although the Government has reportedly intervened to control food prices. 15. The country’s trade with China in March and April declined by over 90 per cent. In the first half of 2020, exports dropped by 74.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2019. 12 In May, trade increased modestly (from $21 million in April to $58 million in May); however, imports were limited to basic necessities such as flour, cooking oil and sugar. The majority of the population living in the border regions and relying on commercial activities have lost their source of income and are struggling to fulfil their basic needs. People are reportedly selling their assets and furniture, taking out loans and going to the mountains to find medicinal herbs, forage for food and cultivate small patches of land to survive. Information suggests that many families cannot afford two meals a day, some may be starving and some have become homeless. The Government has reportedly not provided financial support or rations through the public distribution system to those poor families. There are reports that kotjebi (street children) are escaping from government facilities owing to the poor living conditions and lack of food, but the authorities are forcing them to remain inside to prevent the spread of COVID-19. An increase in the number of street children is an indicator of a deteriorating economic situation. 16. Farmers suffered from a lack of necessary agricultural inputs such as fertilizer and gasoline at a critical time when they were planting seeds, growing seedlings and transplanting rice. In the first half of 2020, the import of fertilizer totalled $4.38 million, which is one ninth of the import of the previous year. 13 Access to agricultural supplies, which was already negatively affected by sanctions prior to the implementation of COVID-19 preventative measures, was further limited owing to the border shutdowns and movement restrictions. The lack of supplies is likely to impact the harvest in September and October 2020, which constitutes 90 per cent of the country’s food production. On 19 May 2020, a research institute report estimated the amount of annual rice production of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to be 1.36 million tons, 14 18,000 tons less than the 2018/2019 production estimate. If the estimate is accurate, that will be the lowest harvest since 1994 (about 1.5 million tons), which saw the Arduous March and the onset of famine. Furthermore, flooding caused by heavy rains in August and September 2020 left thousands of hectares of crops __________________ 10 11 12 13 14 20-13513 The majority of the population relies on domestic smartphones. See www.nknews.org/2020/03/ north-korea-published-an-e-book-on-coronavirus-state-media/. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “DPR Korea needs and priorities 2020”, April 2020, pp. 5 and 23. Hong Jea Hwan, “COVID-19 shock and North Korea economy”, p. 5. Ibid. The Economic Research Service under the United States Department of Agriculture, “Rice outlook monthly tables May 2020”. Available at www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=98445. 7/21