North Korea Hit By 'Worst Drought In 100 Years'

North Korea has been hit by what it describes as its worst drought in a century, threatening to add to the country's chronic food shortages.

The admission by the secretive communist state comes as new pictures emerged of the country's leader Kim Jong-Un apparently enjoying military firing exercises.

The North's KCNA news agency said rice paddies around the country, including the main farming regions of Hwanghae and Phyongan provinces, were drying up due to lack of rain.

Using the short form of the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, KCNA said: "The worst drought in 100 years continues in the DPRK, causing great damage to its agricultural field."

It will raise concerns for the population in a country where the United Nations says almost a third of children under five are stunted because of poor nutrition.

It suffered a devastating famine in the 1990s and has relied on international food aid, but this has dropped off in recent years, because of Pyongyang's restrictions on humanitarian workers and reluctance to allow monitoring of food distribution.

Thomas Lehman, Denmark's ambassador to both North and South Korea, said on a visit to the North late last month he could "clearly see" attempts to deal with the drought in the fields.

"The lack of water has created a lot of damage to the so-called spring crop, and the rice planting is extremely difficult without sufficient water," he said.

A campaign is under way in North Korea to encourage people to help out on farms and is using mobile water pumps run on diesel and longer pipes to draw water into fields.

Linda Lewis of the American Friends Service Committee, which runs farm projects in the North, said: "Farm managers reported receiving training in dry rice planting techniques and other measures that they were trying to conserve water."

The UN resident co-ordinator for North Korea, Ghulam Isaczai, has already warned of a looming crisis due to last year's drought, caused by the lowest rainfall in 30 years.

But he felt the food situation would not be as bad as in previous major droughts, because communities were better prepared and could have reserves.

In April, the United Nations called for $111 million to fund crucial humanitarian needs this year in North Korea, which it said remains drastically under-funded.

Funding for UN agencies in North Korea fell to less than $50 million in 2014, from $300 million in 2004.

North Korea also relies heavily on hydroelectric power and long periods without rain can lead to chronic power shortages.

Earlier this month Pyongyang's propaganda machine produced two new posters and slogans to rally the fight against drought.

One poster, showing a smiling farmer gesturing towards a field of workers with red flags and spades, said: "Let's mobilise the masses and fight with all our strength against the drought."

South Korea has also seen much lower rainfall, particularly in the northern regions, which have got about half the rain of an average year, according to the national weather agency.