SEOUL, April 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's economy has shown no signs of change more than a year after Kim Jong-un took the helm of the isolated country emphasizing the need for growth, government data showed Friday.

   According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Unification and based on information provided by foreign institutions, there were minor improvements in grain production and electricity output, but the difference was minimal and may have actually fueled inequality.

   "Personally, I see almost no change from a year earlier," said a ministry official, who did not want to be identified.

   The data was released to the press to coincide with the first anniversary of the North Korean leader having assumed the country's top job. Kim inherited the communist country after the death of his father in late 2011, but became the first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea on April 11 of last year.

   North Korea's food production is estimated to have increased 10.5 percent on-year to 4.92 million tons in the 2012-2013 grain year, the official said, adding that this translates into a shortage of 210,000 tons, down from 300,000 tons from the previous year.

   The official, however, said foreign data is based purely on information given by Pyongyang, and is not reliable.

   "There may be a need to carefully look at the data on grain," he said, hinting at the fact that there have been numerous cases over the years where official information was not supported by facts.

   On power production, the recent opening of the Huichon power station has increased output by 21.1 billion kilowatts, but the benefits are mostly being felt by the elite in Pyongyang. Outside the capital city, other regions are still affected by power shortages, he claimed.

   The official added that while Kim has been calling for the bolstering of its agriculture and light industries, funds earmarked for these sectors grew at a slower pace than the overall growth of the budget.

   The 2013 budget grew 5.9 percent from the year before, but funds for the light industry and farming sectors gained 5.1 percent. Defense spending on the other hand gained 16 percent on-year.

   The latest data showed that consumer prices have generally been moving up since last year, potentially putting a greater burden on many people whose salaries have not changed in years, the official said.

   yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)