North Korea: And still they starve

After almost a decade, hungry North Koreans are no longer news. But they're still there, and still hungry. On Monday the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported the latest in what seems an annual weather onslaught: usually floods, but sometimes drought.

According to KCNA, the July rains have flooded at least 100,000 hectares of fields, and made 1,000 families homeless. Harvests in affected areas are expected to fall by at least 30%. Roads and railways have also been hit in the center and south of the country.

No specific places were named, so maybe this is a nationwide roundup. The figure for homelessness could be worse, but 100,000 hectares is almost 4% of North Korea's total arable land.

I wonder why the weather is always so much better just a few kilometers to South, in South Korea. During the Soviet Era, bad harvests were blamed on recurring bad weather. Since the USSR disintegrated, harvests have greatly improved. Perhaps the weather fairy does not like Communism. Or maybe, could it possibly be, Communism, collectivization, and gross mismanagement are responsible? Nah! It must be the weather fairy.