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Global problems may exacerbate shortages in N.Korea’s isolated economy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un applauds during a photo session with students and young workers in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 1, 2022. KCNA via REUTERS

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SEOUL, May 3 (Reuters) – North Korea’s isolated economy will not be insulated from global economic headwinds caused by the Ukraine war and the COVID-19 lockdowns in China, analysts said, with recently resumed border trade taking a hit and inflation exacerbating food shortages.

Strict international sanctions ban or restrict wide categories of North Korean imports and exports, and the country locked down its border for years to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks. Natural disasters such as flooding have also taken a toll on harvests and damaged infrastructure.

The trickle of trade and aid that resumed over the land border with China in January…

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