EDITORS NOTE: PICTURES TAKEN ON A GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED TOUR FOR REUTERS ALERTNET

Han Yong Hui, the leader of the Soa-Ri collective farm walks through a village in the area hit by recent floods and typhoons n the South Hwanghae province September 30, 2011. In March, the World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that 6 million North Koreans needed food aid and a third of children were chronically malnourished or stunted. Rising global commodities prices, sanctions imposed for its nuclear and missile programmes, and its dysfunctional food distribution system had created a hunger crisis in the North, even before devastating summer floods and typhoons compounded the emergency. Picture taken September 30, 2011. To match Special Report KOREA-NORTH/FOOD REUTERS/Damir Sagolj (NORTH KOREA - Tags: AGRICULTURE SOCIETY POVERTY)