U . N . expert voices concern over N . K . food shortages amid pandemic SEOUL , June 9 ( Yonhap ) -- A U . N . special rapporteur on North Korea ' s human rights situation expressed concerns over the communist nation ' s food shortages Tuesday , saying the country ' s border closure due to the new coronavirus has exacerbated its already dire conditions . Tomas Ojea Quintana urged the United Nations to reconsider sanctions imposed on the country , citing reports of an increase in the number of homeless people and a surge in medicine prices in the North . He also called on Pyongyang to allow humanitarian groups ' activities . " Lack of food had a devastating impact in the DPRK in the 1990 s , and prospects of a further deepening of food shortages and widespread food insecurity are alarming , " he said in a statement . DPRK stands for the North ' s official name , the Democratic People ' s Republic of Korea . North Korea ' s decision to shut down its border with China in January to prevent the COVID - 19 from getting into the country has devastated cross - border trade and sapped income from merchants , Quintana said . A Seoul official earlier said the North is presumed to be facing a shortage of around 860 , 000 tons of grain this year . " The crisis highlights the economic hardships facing North Koreans , and the detrimental impact of sanctions on the fulfillment of basic economic and social rights , " Quintana said . The U . N . expert also urged the North to release inmates in vulnerable health conditions to prevent the spread of the virus . Quintana took up the post as the special rapporteur on North Korea in 2016 , but the North has not approved his multiple requests to visit the country . In this file photo , taken on June 21 , 2019 , Tomas Ojea Quintana , the U . N . special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea , speaks during a news conference in Seoul . ( Yonhap ) scaaet @ yna . co . kr ( END )