WFP welcomes Republic of Korea’s announcement on doubling annual rice aid for lifesaving operations

SEOUL – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) thanks the Republic of Korea (ROK) for their recent announcement on the doubling of their annual contribution of rice to the programme next year onwards. The increase will take the annual contribution from 50,000 to 100,000 metric tons, destined for WFP’s life-saving operations globally.
“The Republic of Korea is a great example of how a country can go from receiving aid to a generous donor,” said Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director. “Within one generation, the Republic of Korea has overcome hunger to become one of the world’s most developed nations and now a committed partner to WFP, supporting us reach millions of hungry people across the globe.”

The South Korean rice donation will feed 6 million people for around 3-6 months annually. Since 2018, the country’s annual commitment of 50,000 metric tons of rice has supported over 3 million people each year.

The announcement was made by President Seok-yeol Yoon at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan.

The announcement comes as some 345 million people are currently facing high levels of food insecurity, according to WFP analysis, an increase of almost 200 million since early 2020. Of these, 43 million are just one step away from famine. WFP calls on G7 countries to keep their focus on hunger as conflict, extreme climate and economic shocks push more and more people into desperation.