Kim warns of 'tense' food situation, longer COVID lockdown

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned about possible food shortages and urged the country to brace for extended COVID-19 restrictions

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned about possible food shortages and urged the country to brace for extended COVID-19 restrictions as he opened a major political conference to discuss national efforts to salvage a broken economy. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency also said Wednesday that Kim called for discussions on how the North should deal with the “current international situation,” though it did not mention any specific comments from Kim about the United States or South Korea. North Korea has so far ignored the allies’ calls to resume nuclear negotiations that have stalled for two years following the collapse of Kim’s ambitious summitry with former President Donald Trump, It was derailed by disagreements over exchanging relief from crippling U.S.-led sanctions with denuclearization steps by the North. The North’s economy has deteriorated amid pandemic border closures, which choked off trade with China, while devastating typhoons and floods last summer decimated crops.