Yul Kwon:
North Korea and China have signed a wide-ranging agreement to set up a special economic zone on the Korean side of their border. It happened during a visit by Kim Jong-un's uncle to China. He described the young leader's plans for opening up North Korea's economy, and he asked for Chinese support. The agreement comes barely two weeks after floods killed at least 170 North Koreans and left nearly a quarter of a million homeless.

In a rare show of openness, pictures of the recent disaster were released by North Korea's official news agency. This is Anju City, a coal mining town. A river burst its banks, and water rushed throughout the city. Nearby villages were also under water. Two weeks after the floods, roads are still blocked by mudslides. People have been mobilized to clear up these roads, so that aid and supplies can reach isolated farming towns whose crops were washed away.

The floods and crop damage will exacerbate a severe food shortage in North Korea. A recent UN report said that one in three North Korean children show signs of stunted growth due to malnutrition.