N. KOREA'S ISOLATION, ECONOMY POINT TO SWEEPING TO SWEEPING MALNUTRITION.

Byline: The New York Times

Hunger in North Korea is growing more intense as the country's economy continues to deteriorate, so that malnutrition could become widespread in the coming months, some experts say.

In the latest sign of the country's crisis, the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warned on Monday that ``the food supply is becoming increasingly desperate'' in North Korea, and that without emergency food imports, ``the consequences are likely to be devastating for large segments of the population.''

In their statement, the two agencies said that the situation had deteriorated just in the last few months and that the shortages were likely to grow worse this summer.

``There are some cases of malnutrition, but it is not widespread at this time, as far as we can tell,'' Trevor Page, the country director for the World Food Program, said by telephone from the organization's office in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. ``However, with levels of rations that are now being distributed, malnutrition will develop and become widespread in the coming months unless there are substantial food aid shipments.''

North Korea, with the world's last Stalinist government, remains virtually sealed off from the rest of the world, and few foreigners are allowed to visit. But many Western diplomats, business executives, academic experts and visitors to the country say there are growing signs that the economy is deteriorating.

Even in Pyongyang, which has by far the best standard of living in the country, visitors say that power outages are now routine and that water is often cut off for much of the day.

Some Western diplomats and military officials worry that North Korea's economic crisis could make it unpredictable or even lead it to attack South Korea and the American forces stationed there.