The United Nations is calling for the international community to put aside political differences and boost funding to help address what it says are the dire humanitarian needs of North Koreans.
The U.N. said Tuesday that aid efforts in North Korea remain "seriously underfunded," even as it unveiled a funding request for an additional $198 million to respond to "key humanitarian priorities" in the impoverished communist state in 2012.
International donors provided just over a third of the $218 million the U.N. requested for North Korean aid in 2011. Because of the lack of funds, the international body said it was unable to effectively address the humanitarian needs there.
The U.N. described serious humanitarian conditions in North Korea in its report, saying 16 million people continue to suffer from chronic food insecurity, high malnutrition rates, and deep-rooted economic problems.
It said undernourished children are particularly at risk, with nearly a third of children under five showing signs of stunting and hundreds more dying from preventable conditions such as diarrhea.