U.N. officials have expressed frustration over North Korea's reluctance to reform as they issued another appeal for aid to North Korea. In a joint appeal, aid agencies called for two hundred-58 million dollars next year. They warned that North Korea's food crisis could continue indefinitely unless the government leads efforts to revive and develop its crippled economy. According to U.N. agencies, despite an improved harvest this year, North Korea still faces a shortage of nearly one and a half million tons of food. They said in a statement that only generous food-aid contributions can prevent a major famine in North Korea.