SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned about possible food shortages and called for his people to brace for extended COVID-19 restrictions. The North’s official media said Kim also called for discussions on the “current international situation” as he opened a major political conference. The report wasn’t specific, but North Korea has been ignoring calls to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States that have stalled for two years. Meanwhile, the North’s economy has decayed further as the pandemic choked off trade and bad weather destroyed last summer’s crops. Kim urged officials to find ways to boost agricultural production, saying the food situation “is now getting tense.”
