Reuters: North Korean women suffer discrimination, rape, malnutrition: U.N.
“North Korean women are deprived of education and job opportunities and are often subjected to violence at home and sexual assault in the workplace, a U.N. human rights panel said on Monday. … North Korea told the panel on Nov. 8 that it was working to uphold women’s rights and gender equality but that sanctions imposed by major powers over its nuclear and missile programs were taking a toll on vulnerable mothers and children…” (Nebehay, 11/20).

Reuters: Injured defector’s parasites and diet hint at hard life in North Korea
“Parasitic worms found in a North Korean soldier, critically injured during a desperate defection, highlight nutrition and hygiene problems that experts say have plagued the isolated country for decades…” (Smith/Shin, 11/17).

Washington Post: What the parasites in a defector’s stomach tell us about North Korea
“…According to a report by the United Nations, two in five people in North Korea are undernourished. Seventy percent of people require food assistance to survive, including 1.3 million children below the age of five. And the food they have access to can sicken or kill them…” (Wootson, 11/19).