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North Korea has requested for immediate food aid from the United Nations after devastating floods hit the south-Asian country last month. UN officials in Pyongyang , after visiting flood-hit parts of the country to assess damage, claimed that the need for aid was urgent. According to the BBC, at least 119 people died and tens of thousands were left homeless, while damage to infrastructure and farmland has reportedly affected the country's already dire food shortage problem. The most badly affected areas are Anju city and Songchon County in South Phyongan Province , and Chonnae County in Kangwon Province , the UN officials said. A UN spokesman in New York confirmed that the North Korean government has asked the UN to release emergency supplies such as food and fuel, as well as clean water, as wells have been contaminated by sewerage during the floods, the report said. Some international aid groups have already begun gathering supplies and donations, with the Red Cross claiming that it would allocate more than 300,000 dollars for flood victims, it added.

North Korea seeks food aid from UN following devastating floods