--- description: State media in North Korea instructed the country on Monday to brace itself for famine and severe economic hardship title: North Korea Tells Citizens to Prepare Themselves for Famine image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7a0e551cb4bead3/69888cdbbc6cfca1b23dc59d/gettyimages-462150349.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # North Korea Tells Citizens to Prepare Themselves for Famine by [Nash Jenkins](/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 29, 2016 7:55 AM CUT  This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 12, 2014, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, inspecting the command of Korean People's Army Unit 534 This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Jan. 12, 2014, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, inspecting the command of Korean People's Army Unit 534AFP/Getty Images by [Nash Jenkins](/author/p-nash-jenkins/) ## Nash Jenkins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 29, 2016 7:55 AM CUT North Korea [instructed](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/12206185/North-Koreans-told-to-prepare-for-new-arduous-march.html "undefined") the country Monday to brace itself for possible famine and severe economic hardship — but not to despair, because “the road to revolution is long and arduous,” according to an editorial in the state-run newspaper. The article, published in _Rodong Sinmun —_ the print mouthpiece of the North Korean government — comes less than a month after the U.N. Security Council voted in favor of slapping the Hermit Kingdom with tougher [sanctions,](http://time.com/4261889/obama-north-korea-sanctions/ "undefined") after the country teased its potential [nuclear and military](http://time.com/4255081/north-korea-kim-jong-un-nuclear-tests/ "undefined") capabilities earlier this year. The editorial stated that hardships to come might evoke another “arduous march” — the term assigned to the famine that struck the country in the mid-1990s, killing as many as 3 million people, reports the _Telegraph_, a British newspaper. “We may have to go on an arduous march, during which we will have to chew the roots of plants once again,” the editorial piece read. _Rodong Sinmun_ called for a “70-day campaign of loyalty” and reportedly demanded that the North Korean people demonstrate their allegiance to Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. To that end, the country is requiring all residents of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital city, to deliver about 2 lb. of rice to state warehouses each month. The _Telegraph_ reports that the country has also requested nearly half a million tons of food aid from other countries. As of last month, however, only 17,600 tons had arrived. \[[_Telegraph_](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/12206185/North-Koreans-told-to-prepare-for-new-arduous-march.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4274666/arduous-march-north-korea-famine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4274666/arduous-march-north-korea-famine/"},"headline":"North Korea Tells Citizens to Prepare Themselves for Famine","datePublished":"2016-03-29T07:55:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:17:09.888Z","description":"\"The road to revolution is long and arduous\"","url":"https://time.com/4274666/arduous-march-north-korea-famine/","keywords":["North Korea","Kim Jong Un","pyongyang","famine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7a0e551cb4bead3/69888cdbbc6cfca1b23dc59d/gettyimages-462150349.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nash Jenkins","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/p-nash-jenkins/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf7a0e551cb4bead3/69888cdbbc6cfca1b23dc59d/gettyimages-462150349.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NKOREA-POLITICS-MILITARY","caption":"NKOREA-POLITICS-MILITARY","creditText":"AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4274666/arduous-march-north-korea-famine/","name":"North Korea Tells Citizens to Prepare Themselves for Famine"}}]}] ```