North Korea has reportedly asked Russia for 100-thousand tons of wheat flour as prices in the local market are soaring. <br />Japanese paper, Asahi Shimbun reported, citing sources including North Korean defectors, that earlier in March, the price of 1-kilogram of rice jumped to 4-point-63 U.S. dollars,... 1-point-3 times higher from what it was at the start of last year. <br />It also said prices of corn and wheat flour were about 1-point-5 times higher.<br />The newspaper says that the price surge comes as people are stockpiling food due to uncertainty coming from poor weather conditions and the continued international sanctions on North Korea.<br />To this, the Russian Embassy in Pyeongyang said early March, that it delivered 50-thousand tons of wheat flour to the North as relief supplies. <br />
