[BBC] The head of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) believes there is a "sense of optimism" among North Korea's leaders after enjoying what he said was unprecedented access to the country.David Beasley spent two days in the capital, Pyongyang, and two outside it, accompanied by government minders.
He said the country was working hard to meet nutritional standards, and hunger was not as high as in the 1990s.
"There is a sense of turning a new page in history," he told the BBC.
Relations between North Korea and the rest of the world have seen a dramatic shift.
Last year the North Korean government carried out a string of nuclear and missile tests.