Russia sends goats to North Korea to combat child malnutrition

The treaty on comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and North Korea is becoming a reality. Moscow is set to help Pyongyang combat child malnutrition. As part of a broad agreement, Russia has approved the shipment of 447 goats to North Korea.

The goats will be transported from the Leningrad region in Russia to the border town of Rason in North Korea. On Tuesday, the South Korean agency Yonhap reported that Russian sanitary services had approved sending 447 goats to North Korea.

A statement from the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision of the Russian Federation (Rosselkhoznadzor) reported that after veterinary inspection, 432 female and 15 male goats were sent to North Korea as part of the first batch of live animal exports.

Due to chronic food shortages, this initiative aims to provide dairy products to North Korean children.

Last Friday, North Korean regime media reported that "efficient" goat farms had been built in parts of the western port city of Nampo. The Korean Central News Agency conveyed that efforts have been consolidated to efficiently deliver dairy products to children in the region.

Interestingly, three years ago, Kim Jong-Un called for the "establishment of a policy to provide all children across the country with dairy products and other nutritious food at the expense of state funds".

Yonhap emphasises that the goat exchange follows Kim Jong-Un and Vladimir Putin meetings. In June, Russia and North Korea signed a treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership.

UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the World Bank Group have published an alarming report. In 2022, approximately one in six North Korean children under the age of five suffered from stunted growth due to malnutrition. 16.8 percent suffer from stunted growth, or 285,000 children in this age group.