Russia, Switzerland and four other countries have provided about $10 million in food assistance to North Korea this year to help its choric food shortages, UN data showed Wednesday.

According to the data provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the countries, also including Sweden, Norway, Canada and Bulgaria, have provided food assistance worth $10.5 million this year through the World Food Programme (WFP).

Switzerland offered $5.22 million in food aid to the North, followed by Russia with $3 million and Sweden with $1.04 million, the data showed. Norway, Canada and Bulgaria came next by offering $680,000, $550,000 and $5,600 worth of assistance, respectively.

Details were not available on how the aid was delivered to North Korea at a time when the North has sealed its border since early this year in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic.

North Korea has been suffering from chronic food shortages caused by floods, typhoons and other extreme weather conditions in recent years. Food paucity is expected to worsen as its farming sector was buffeted by back-to-back typhoons and floods this year. (Yonhap)