U.S. delegation to assess food security needs in North Korea

May 24 2011

A U.S. delegation will visit North Korea this week to evaluate the country's food security needs, the State Department said, RTT News reports (5/21).

Robert King, the U.S. special envoy on North Korea's human rights, will travel to the country on Tuesday with a "food assessment team," according to State Department spokesperson Mark Toner, Agence France-Presse reports. "It doesn't necessarily ... mean that we will provide food assistance but it's the first step in evaluating the need," he said (5/21). "King's May 24-28 trip will mark the first official U.S. visit to Pyongyang since 2009," Reuters/MSNBC notes (5/20).