A/HRC/10/18 page 6 9. WFP highlighted three groups as particularly food insecure: the socially vulnerable (children in child institutions, the elderly, and children in paediatric wards); the physiologically vulnerable (pregnant and lactating women, children under 5 years old and adolescents); and the geographically vulnerable (particularly in the north-eastern and southern parts of the country). Immediate food needs are closely related to the shortage of fertilizers and fuel. The overall situation of schools and hospitals has also been deteriorating owing to a lack of basic necessities, including food, textbooks, electricity and medicines. 10. A joint WFP/FAO report of 8 December 2008 revealed that, despite better climatic conditions in 2008, there would still be a severe food shortage, and the country would need international assistance. It is estimated that the total food production for the period 2008-09 will be 4.21 million tons, with a cereal deficit of 836,000 tons, despite possible commercial imports of 500,000 tons. Particularly at risk are the urban poor and remote food-deficit areas in the northeast. The needed food assistance is thus calculated to be some 800,000 tons until the next harvest in October 2009. The report indicated that agricultural growth has not been able to benefit from the favourable weather in 2008 owing to other factors, such as lack of fertilizers and fuel. Some 8.7 million people are food insecure and thus need help. Given these conditions, there is also a need for consistent nutritional assessment of the people at risk. 11. WFP is also targeting more extensive emergency operations for the period September 2008-November 2009.2 They encompass 131 counties in 8 provinces, up from 50 counties supported under the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation, to provide aid to 6,237,000 beneficiaries. The groups covered are mainly lactating women, primary school children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, complemented by food for work-related community development activities. However, at the beginning of 2009, only 1.8 million people were receiving food assistance because of severe resourcing shortfalls. 12. The Special Rapporteur was also informed that, based upon the principle of “no access, no food” - namely that food would not be given unless there was access to the targeted recipients the monitoring of food distribution would be improved, with more random sampling for monitoring food distribution and prospected use of United Nations staff who are Korean speakers, rather than the previous practice of using Korean speakers seconded by the authorities to the operations. United Nations agencies are also moving beyond food aid to more food security-oriented activities, such as food for community development programmes, which cover elements such as disaster preparedness and sustainable agriculture.2 13. Despite the above-mentioned initiatives, there have been some unconscionable developments with regard to the negative attitude of the authorities towards the general population. Firstly, it might be recalled that, in 2002, the Government took various measures to open the door to quasi-market activities, thus enabling the population to engage in the market system at a limited level, to produce, buy and sell their goods. The public distribution system was seen as non-functional, and people were given additional wages to fend for themselves. 2 See “Emergency Assistance to Population Groups Affected by Floods and Rising Food and Fuel Prices”, available on the WFP website (www.wfp.org).