NGO Says North Korea Rice Prices at Record High

A South Korean relief group says rice prices in North Korea have soared to record highs, driven by a special collection for the military and by the soaring value of the U.S. and Chinese currencies.

Good Friends, a private group which helps North Korea refugees and asylum seekers, said Wednesday that a kilogram of rice was selling on January 19 for as much as 3,000 won — or just under $1 at the official exchange rate.

That is about twice the price from earlier this month when grain was released to celebrate the birthday of Kim Jon Un, the son and presumed heir to leader Kim Jong Il.

The group said authorities were collecting food for military supplies because of a delayed delivery of food aid from China. It also noted a high demand for the U.S. and Chinese currencies.

South Korea used to ship 400,000 tons of rice a year to the North but it halted the deliveries in 2008 as relations between the two Koreas deteriorated.