SEOUL, March 27 (UPI) -- The British ambassador to South Korea said Sunday Pyongyang markets seem well-supplied even as North Korea seeks foreign food aid.
Martin Uden, who visited Pyongyang and the east coast port of Wonsan March 11 through 14, told Yonhap he saw ample supplies of poultry, fish and vegetables as well as computer and camera accessories at the capital's Dong-il market.
The diplomat did say both the variety and quantity of food at the market was worse than when he visited three years ago, with the disappearance of beef most noticeable.
As for North Korea's request for food aid, he said, "It's worth remembering that even if this one market appeared reasonably stocked, it's not possible to draw wider conclusions from that."
Uden arrived in Pyongyang March 11, the day of the Japanese earthquake, but said he knew nothing of it until state media reported it three days later.
In North Korea, "you can only know what the state wants you to know," he said.
