A visit to North Korea by the executive director of the UN World Food Programme this week has provided a glimpse inside a handful of state-run establishments that care for babies and new mothers.
The pictures, shot by the WFP on May 20, showed several stops on the visit by Ertharin Cousin, which lasted from May 19 to May 21.
The children in the images don’t appear to be suffering from some of the chronic malnutrition witnessed in the past in North Korea, but their ages are unclear and it’s not known whether the facilities were given notice of Cousin’s visit or the locations were selected by the government.
Cousin was in North Korea to gain a better understanding of the humanitarian needs and food security situation in the country and to see some of her organization’s work. The WFP produces specialized nutritious food and supplies it to children in hospitals, baby homes, nurseries and schools but its operations in the DPRK are only 24 percent funded.
“It’s important that we visited DPRK at this time because this is a program that is severely underfunded and the program is working to support pregnant and lactating women and children under two, particularly those in hospitals, nursery schools and orphanages,” Cousin said in comments in North Korea.
“When we are underfunded it means that we can not provide the nutritional food that is required on a consistent basis to ensure that we can deliver the outcomes that will change this children’s lives and provide the nutritional assistance that is required so that they can grow up healthy with the opportunity to live their lives to their full potential.”
During her visit, she went to a nursery and hospital in Pyongsong City, which is about 30 kilometers to the north of the capital city Pyongyang.
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- Children play at the Tumu Nursery in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province, on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- Children at the Tumu Nursery in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- A child in a cot at the Tumu Nursery in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- New mothers with their babies at the pediatric ward of City Hospital in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- A new mother with her baby at the pediatric ward of City Hospital in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province, on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- A baby at the pediatric ward of City Hospital in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province, on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- Children welcoming WFP’s Executive Director Ertharin Cousin at the baby home in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province, on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- WFP’s Executive Director Ertharin Cousin with a baby at the baby home in Pyongsong City, South Pyongan Province, on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- A mother with her child, who received nutritious food from WFP during her pregnancy and while breastfeeding, seen during a visit to North Korea by WFP’s executive director on May 20, 2014. (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- WFP’s Executive Director Ertharin Cousin visiting a mother with her child, who received nutritious food from WFP during her pregnancy and while breastfeeding (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- WFP provides local factories with ingredients and expertise to produce Super Cereal and High Energy Biscuits. This factory is in Pyongyang (UN handout/NorthKoreaTech)
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- Bags of ingredients supplied by the UN World Food Programme to a factory in Pyongyang used to produce super cereal and high energy biscuits. (Photo: North Korea Tech/UN handout)
The images come from a video supplied by the WFP. Here’s the video, divided into two clips:
This is just so phony and fake, I hope she is not taken in by this. The ironic thing is that North Korea is putting up it’s showpiece dog and pony shows, which only show the absolute best – if things are so good, why do they need aid?
Because the DPRK is being prevented from trading for what it needs because of sanctions.
Maybe what you were thaught by politician and profit media gulag is only censored negative info about north korea, which you are ONLY ALLOWED to hear. They need AID because they don’t want to be in DEBT like your country. Living off of other people money….