The government says between 720 and 811 million people in the world faced hunger in 2020, or some 161 million more than in 2019.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Thursday such data was included in the 2021 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report which was jointly released by five international organizations in July, including the World Food Program.
The data suggests that one in ten people in the world is suffering from food shortages.
Since joining the Food Assistance Convention in 2018, South Korea has been providing 50-thousand tons of rice every year to between four to six countries facing food crises. Through such efforts, the report said South Korea is helping more than three million refugees and immigrants across the globe tackle food problems.
The agriculture ministry said this year South Korea provided not only rice assistance but also support in building irrigation facilities and technology on diagnosing livestock diseases to six countries, including Yemen, Kenya and Syria.
The ministry said South Korea will continue to pursue various projects to help underdeveloped countries tackle food shortages as well as work to meet the UN’s goal of achieving “zero hunger.”