State news agency KCNA said main rice-growing provinces have been badly affected and more than 30% of rice paddies were ‘parching up’. Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are believed to have died during a widespread famine in the 1990s. This drought is unlikely to be as deadly because of recent agricultural reforms, correspondents say. The United Nations World Food Programme says North Korea regularly faces significant food shortages and currently about a third of children in the country are malnourished. North Korea's closed economy means it is likely to suffer more in the drought. It is unusual for North Korea to talk openly of its shortages, so the very appearance of the report in state media is significant. It indicates the situation is serious, and it may well indicate that North Korea wants outside help. The drought report coincides with the release of two South Korean prisoners from North Korean custody, which may underline the desire of the North to elicit sympathy and more tangible aid.