The citizens of the DPRK were urged not to give way to attempts to help the imperialists

The central press organ of the Workers' Party of Korea, the newspaper Nodong Sinmun, published an editorial revealing the virtues of economic independence in nation—building. As noted by Reuters, this was preceded by an article by the South Korean newspaper Yonhap about the shortage of products in the DPRK.

The Yonhap article, in particular, claims that the food shortage in the DPRK is getting worse. The agency refers to its own sources, according to which 700 prisoners died of hunger and disease in two years in North Korean prisons. The South Korean Unification Ministry said that cases of starvation have become more frequent in some provinces of the DPRK, and the grain harvest has decreased by 3.8% to 4.5 million tons. In addition, there was talk of a reduction in food imports due to the pandemic, including from China.

In the article "Nodong Sinmun" "the help of the imperialists" is viewed in a negative way, especially in times of difficulties.

"The imperialists are waving posters of "Help" and "Cooperation" and making noise as if countries experiencing economic difficulties cannot cope with the crisis themselves without their help", - the article says (quoted by Kommersant).

It is noted that the "imperialists" seek to make the country a source of raw materials and a market. It is claimed that their help is robbery and enslavement on the way to achieving world domination.