N. Koreans Are Killing Chinese for Food

A spate of recent murders committed by North Korean soldiers in China may be driven by hunger. Desperate for food, the soldiers walk across a frozen river into China to raid Chinese villages for something to eat. Beijing filed a formal complaint, saying a renegade North Korean soldier killed four Chinese citizens in December in the village of Nanping. In September, another North Korean soldier bludgeoned three Chinese family members to death to steal just 500 yuan ($81), potentially to buy food. “Military units in fringe areas or with less influence also get less food,” said Kwon Tae Jin, an expert on North Korea’s food shortages. “This will get worse. It is estimated about 2 million North Koreans are still unable to feed themselves properly even though the days of them starving to death are over.”