Buried deep among the 'frequently asked questions' on an official North Korean English-language website - a rare foray into international propaganda by Pyongyang - is a surprisingly relevant inquiry.
'I've heard that everybody starves in North Korea. How is the food situation?' asks the question on the Korean Friendship Association site, buried between queries on whether it is possible to obtain a signed photograph of Dear Leader Kim Jong-il (yes) or join the North Korean army (no).
Given the rosy view of the world's last Stalinist hermit state portrayed across the website, the answer suggests there is little need for worry. It states that the food crisis of the mid-1990s is 'no secret', listing flooding, US economic pressure and the collapse of the Soviet Union as reasons.
'[North Korea] has completely recovered from the 'Arduous March',' it states, 'and has survived as a country which has now become stronger and more independent than before.'
No one should be fooled. The gap between how Pyongyang wants to be viewed by the world and reality could not be wider. Stark warnings are emerging that a repeat of the 1990s famine could soon be occurring.
Even with the relative bounty of the past few years, United Nations estimates point to lingering malnourishment for about a third of North Korean children and mothers - a situation expected to worsen significantly. An estimated 6.5 million people out of a population of 23 million already struggle to feed themselves properly.
