TOKYO, June 23. /TASS/. Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora denied a report by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) saying the republic is starving, but admitted that Pyongyang is facing a tough situation with food amid Western sanctions.

In an interview with the NK News portal, a readout of which was released on the Russian embassy’s page on Facebook (prohibited in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist) on Friday, the Russian diplomat dismissed what he said was a biased report by the BBC as being a far cry from how things really are and giving a false impression of the situation in the DPRK.

"As for the availability of food made domestically (grain, beans, potatoes, meat, poultry, eggs, vegetables and fruit), overall, the situation here has not changed since the onset of the pandemic, as there was enough [food] on the shelves back then and there is enough now, too," he explained.

However, the Russian envoy said, "of course, not everyone can afford to buy food every day at market prices." According to Matsegora, a rationing system for food supplies is currently in place in the country, with either the government or the company an individual is employed at being in charge of providing resources. But "the situation with food resources is tough, and authorities in North Korea admit that, too," the diplomat lamented.

Despite governmental efforts, lots of issues remain unsolved amid Western sanctions. The DPRK "is lacking in fertilizers, pesticides, fuel, farm machinery and its components. <…> However, the country could buy all this, including grain, abroad, but sanctions prevent this," Matsegora maintained. If the restrictions were to be lifted or eased, and the pressure on foreign suppliers for their ties with North Korea stopped, the government "could resolve the issue of food availability for the population in short order," he said with confidence.

And yet, the current hardships cannot be compared to the North Korean Famine of the mid-1990s, when a severe economic crisis was coupled with mass starvation, leading to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. "Back then, the situation was rampant, indeed. I was here then, so I can compare. No signs of famine are currently being seen here," Matsegora assured.