North Korea breeds black swans for meat to tackle food shortages

North Korea is breeding ornamental black swans to provide meat to its population amid food shortages. The country’s state media reported that the industrial scale breeding under way at a swan farm could help improve people's lives. North Korea has long suffered from food insecurity, which deepened after the UN imposed sanctions on the country in 2017 over its nuclear programmes. The reclusive state has been able to rely on neighbouring China for food, but supplies have been disrupted by natural disasters and border lockdowns to fight the coronavirus pandemic. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has admitted that his country faces a “tense” food shortage.