Kim Jong-un admits North Korea's soldiers' diets should be improved

Kim Jong-un smiles as he speaks to staff at Factory No. 525 of the Korean People's Army
AFP/Getty Images
Alexandra Richards25 July 2018

Kim Jong-un has stated that North Korean soldiers need to be better fed.

The North Korean leader issued a statement after a soldier who defected was found to be suffering from serious nutritional problems.

Kim made the claims during a visit to a military rations factory, state media KCNA reported.

He said soldiers should be fed nutritious food to “substantially contribute to improving the diet of the service persons.”

Kim Jong-Un (C) visiting Factory No. 525 of the Korean People's Army at an undisclosed location in North Korea.
AFP/Getty Images

He continued: “Officials and employees of the factory should always over fulfil the production plan on all indices, bearing in mind the noble intention of leader Kim Jong Il (his late father) who spared nothing for the soldiers of the People’s Army. Make sure that they still feel his loving care.”

Last year, doctors discovered corn kernels in the stomach of a soldier who braved a hail of bullets to defect to South Korea.

Kim Jong-un said soldiers needed to be fed more nutritional meals
AFP/Getty Images

Experts said that the kernels highlighted the nutrition problems that have plagued the isolated country for years.

Kim Jong Un - In pictures

North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un speaks at plenary meeting of 8th central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
1/39

The World Food Programme has previously said that North Korea’s staple diet of rice/maize, kimchi and bean paste are lacking in essential fats and protein.

According to experts North Korea has been plagued with nutrition problems for years
REUTERS

Kim’s visit to the factory was the latest in series of site inspections including industrial facilities by the North Korea leader.

According to state media, Kim shifted his focus from nuclear missiles to the economy in April.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in