Snapped Shot

Today's China Post is carrying an article (h/t FR) that is breathtaking if not for any reason other than how completely unexpected it is:

The North Korean government has publicly acknowledged that flooding over the past few weeks has caused devastating flooding throughout the country, which has destroyed more than one-tenth of their farmland.

What's so unusual about this is that there is usually no acknowledgment of natural disasters from the Hermit Kingdom at all. As in, if something bad happens there, we generally find out about it through our intelligence agencies, not the China Post.

So, what's going on in Kimjongilland?

If I were a betting man, I would guess that the North Koreans are suffering from an historic crop failure, which may or may not be due to the weather. After all, if there are not enough healthy hands to work in the field, it's rather difficult to harvest anything when the time comes, is it not? And North Korea is not exactly known for how well it provides for its citizens...

Alternately, there is something else going on which requires a rapid influx of cash and donations which can be resold on the international market, and what better way to get a large influx of cash than to cry wolf?

The UN World Food Programme is already leaping to action, so I doubt we'll ever get to find out what's really going on...