NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

The World Meteorological Organization says that roughly 10 million North Koreans are in need of emergency food aid. The UN agency delivered the estimate in an annual report released on Tuesday, saying that the North has been suffering from a dry, unstable weather for two consecutive years. It added precipitation in the communist country stood at mere 56.3 millimeters from January to March last year.
South Sudan officially asked Korea to suspend the rotational deployment of a military unit amid the novel coronavirus epidemic. As the request was delivered via the UN, the Ministry of National Defense postponed an initial plan to send a new contingent of troops to the African country on Monday. It is now rescheduling the rotation of the eleventh and 12th batches of the Habit Unit, which is stationed in South Sudan as part of UN peacekeeping forces.
Education authorities have recommended that middle and high schools replace mid-term exams with assignments for the evaluation of students' performance, as the opening of the new semester was postponed in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The schools were also advised to hold final exams as late as possible and ensure there will be no shortage in school days despite the shortened semester.