North Korea pushes missile investments while telling citizens to brace for famine
Despite facing international condemnation and further economic hardship, North Korea is pushing on with its weapons developments, firing another test missile on Tuesday, South Korean officials said.
The projectile was fired near the North Korean port city of Wonsan and flew about 200 km (125 miles) before crashing into land northeast of the launch site.
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Seoul's Defense Ministry did not say whether the projectile was aimed at land deliberately, or whether it missed its mark for the sea, where recent missiles launches had been aimed.
North Korea routinely tests short-range missiles and artillery systems but tends to do more launches in times of tension with the outside world. A particular point of contention right now is the annual military drills between Washington and Seoul -- the largest ever -- which the North sees as an invasion rehearsal.
The North braces for famine
While the hermit state pours resources into its armaments, its citizens' well-being stands in stark contrast. On Monday, state media reportedly ran an article telling North Koreans the country is about to face hardship, and to brace for possible famine.
The warning comes on the back of the toughest sanctions that the United Nations has slapped on the bealeaguered country so far, after the North ran a hydrogen bomb test in January that defied existing warnings from the U.N..
The article on Monday that ran in the Rodong Sinmun told the people that they might have to endure another "Arduous March", referring to a severely tough period in the '90s where an estimated 3 million North Koreans died from hunger.
The article told the people to continue being loyal to leader Kim Jong-un during the journey, which could be long, it said.
North Korea started a "70-day campaign of loyalty" in February, in an effort to rally people's support for Kim. During the period, organizations and individual workers have to show how they can work harder and contribute more to the state.
All citizens in the capital of Pyongyang are required during the campaign to deliver 1 kg of rice each month to the state, reports The Telegraph.
The country continues to send out requests for food aid from other countries, and has requested 440,000 tons of food for this year, however it has only received 17,600 as of February.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
