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Third of N. Korean children don't get enough food

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More than 30 percent of North Korean children in Yanggang Province suffer from malnutrition. / Yonhap

By Lee Jin-a

More than 30 percent of children in Yanggang Province, North Korea, are malnourished, according to a U.S.-based media outlet.

“Thirty-two percent of children under the age of five in nurseries in Yanggang Province are suffering from stunted growth due to malnutrition,” Voice of America (VOA) said Tuesday. “This is the highest rate among eight provinces in North Korea.”

VOA said the report was based on data provided by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), which conducted the survey in eight provinces in the isolated country for six months last year. The average malnutrition rate across the nation was 25.4 percent.

“Toddlers under the age of three tend to suffer malnutrition more than the children who are older,” said WFP. “During this period, parents need to specially care for their babies to prevent malnutrition.”

Starting next month, WFP will launch a food aid project to help 1.7 million impoverished North Koreans. The estimated cost is $126 million.