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Rumors of rice aid to North Korea circulate as prices skyrocket

By Elizabeth Shim
Workers rake harvested rice in Chuncheon, South Korea. File Photo by Yonhap
Workers rake harvested rice in Chuncheon, South Korea. File Photo by Yonhap

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- False rumors of South Korean government deliveries of massive amounts of rice to North Korea are spreading online at a time when consumers are struggling with record-high prices, according to a South Korean press report.

The Internet chatter on rice, a staple food in Korea, has prompted local newspapers to investigate the facts in order to dispel the rumors, the Weekly Kyunghyang reported Wednesday.

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Rice prices began to climb rapidly in April when about 175 pounds reached $151. By Sept. 25, the price had risen to $158, or up 34 percent, year-on-year.

Some of the rumors claim the government has cut a secret deal with the North to donate rice in return for North Korean coal.

Three South Korean firms imported coal from North Korea disguised as Russian products last year.

Conservative South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo investigated the rice aid claims and found them to be false, according to the Kyunghyang.

Rice delivery to the North, ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 tons of rice, would require "hundreds of people" in a workforce for two months, sources in agriculture told the Chosun.

South Korea has previously delivered rice assistance to the North. From 2002 to 2007, Seoul assisted Pyongyang with about 100,000 to 500,000 tons of rice per annum.

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South Korea last delivered rice to the North in 2010, when 5,000 tons were sent to the country.

North Korea does not publicly acknowledge malnutrition or hunger among the population, and instead continues to call for "self-regeneration" or self-reliance for the "struggle" to build the national economy.

Korean Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said Wednesday 2018 was a year of "great significance for the development path," and workers must struggle until the end of the year.

North Korea's mass mobilization of people to work on state projects has often led to illness, injuries or death, according to defectors.

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