North Korea says hit by floods, farms damaged

SEOUL, Aug 9 (Reuters) North Korea reported today flooding in some parts of the impoverished state, which was hit by severe floods last year that killed hundreds, wiped out crops and washed away flimsy buildings.

''The deluge of rain has inflicted a heavy damage to agriculture and other sectors of the national economy and people's living in the relevant areas,'' its KCNA news agency said.

KCNA said torrential rain has hit areas on the east and west coasts.

More heavy rain is expected to fall for the next several days in many parts of the Korean peninsula, weather forecasters said.

Three major storms hit North Korea last year. A pro-Pyongyang newspaper reported that more than 800 North Koreans were killed or went missing from the resulting floods.

Due to years of mismanagement of the farming sector, North Korea does not produce enough food to feed its nearly 23 million people.

Famine in the mid-to-late-1990s may have killed up to 10 per cent of the population, experts have said.

Even in a good year, North Korea still falls about one million tonnes short of the food it needs to feed its people.

South Korea, which typically gives 500,000 tonnes of rice a year to its neighbour, temporarily suspended its regular food aid last year due to North Korea's test of ballistic missiles in July 2006 and its first nuclear test three months later.

The South Korean government resumed regular food aid after North Korea shut its nuclear reactor and source of weapons-grade plutonium as part of a disarmament deal reached in February.

The leaders of the two Koreas will hold a rare summit later this month.

REUTERS GL KN1551