A nongovernment relief organization in South Korea says some 300 North Koreans died of hunger in Sinuiju in the first two months of this year.

Good Friends was quoting on Friday an assessment made by Sinuiju’s municipal authorities.

A Seoul government official said that although it is true that the North’s overall economic and food conditions remain poor, the report about Sinuiju has yet to be confirmed.

The official added that it is hard to believe that such a large number of people died of hunger in Sinuiju, which is a key passageway for North Korea-China trade.