A citizen of North Korea says the soldiers in his country have begun to go without food amid the worsening food shortage situation in the communist state.

The North Korean, who recently crossed the North Korea-China border into the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture to get food and daily necessities, made the claim to KBS Thursday.

The North Korean said soldiers’ families are having to send money so they can buy food, adding that those who are not able to receive help from their families are becoming weak and in some cases are being sent back home.

The North Korean also claimed that a growing number of people in the North are crossing the border into China to obtain food.