A South Korean civil-society organisation has reported that North Korea's food shortages are so bad that citizens in Pyongyang will not receive food rations until September and has predicted there will be massive deaths from famine in provincial areas of the country in May.

A South Korean civil-society organisation has reported that North Korea's food shortages are so bad that even its elite citizens in Pyongyang will not get state food rations until September.

The Seoul-based Good Friends organisation said the North had decided to suspend state food rations in the capital city for six months from this month amid the worsening food situation. A grim prediction is spreading that there will be massive deaths from famine in provincial areas of the impoverished country around May, it also said.

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