Storms dampen hopes for bountiful NKorea harvest

WONSAN, North Korea — A drought followed by a summer of floods and typhoons has renewed fears of a food shortfall in chronically hungry North Korea.

A professor at the country's premier agricultural school tells The Associated Press that hopes for a strong harvest have been dimmed by all the bad weather.

As Korean farmers head into their fields for the critical autumn rice harvest, United Nations workers will be fanning out across the countryside assessing the state of the nation's food supplies heading into the harsh Korean winter.

This year's harvest is especially important to the nation's leaders because it will be the first since Kim Jong Un came to power following the December death of his father, Kim Jong Il. And the new leader has promised his people a more prosperous future.