The Hidden Famine: What I Saw in North Korea’s Darkest Years

In September 1998, reporter Kathi Zellweger found herself in the northern city of Sinuiju, North Korea. Sinuiju, once an important industrial hub and trade point with China, was now a shabby and dilapidated city. Despite increased contact with China, the city remained bleak in comparison to the Chinese side of the Yalu River. Kathi and her colleague, Mary Healy, a nurse from Ireland, were there to deliver aid and visit areas affected by the devastating famine.

As they entered the Amnokgang Hotel, they were the only guests in the large dining hall, where basic necessities were on sale, including earrings made of red stones. This visit to Sinuiju highlighted the grim reality faced by many families, with limited food and scarce resources.