TheAgitator.com
WHO Chief Announces the Good News: “No Signs of Obesity” in North Korea
Friday, May 7th, 2010The latest round of commie spooning from a dimwitted international bureaucrat:
North Korea’s health system would be the envy of many developing countries because of the abundance of medical staff that it has available, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday.
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, speaking a day after returning from a 2-1/2 day visit to the reclusive country, said malnutrition was a problem in North Korea but she had not seen any obvious signs of it in the capital Pyongyang.
North Korea — which does not allow its citizens to leave the country — has no shortage of doctors and nurses, in contrast to other developing countries where skilledhealthcare workers often emigrate, she said.
This allows North Korea to provide comprehensive healthcare, with one “household doctor” looking after every 130 families, said the head of the United Nations health agency, praising North Korea’s immunization coverage and mother and child care.
“They have something which most other developing countries would envy,” Chan told a news conference, noting that her visit was a rare sign of the communist state’s willingness to cooperate with outside agencies.
The three-year North Korean famine that killed about 3 million people in the 1990s gets all of a four-word mention in the Reuters write-up of Chan’s remarks. But, you know, massive-famine-that-killed-12-percent-of-the-population aside, Chan notes, North Korea has none of that filthy excess we see in countries whose citizens aren’t considered the property of the state:
Chan spent most of her brief visit in Pyongyang, and she said that from what she had seen there most people had the same height and weight as Asians in other countries, while there were no signs of the obesity emerging in some parts of Asia.
But she said conditions could be different in the countryside.
Well thank goodness North Koreans aren’t getting fat. Good to know the WHO has its priorities in order.
In other news about clueless international organizations, the latest member of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women will be . . . Iran. You may remember Iran from such hits as “7 Iranianan Women Face Stoning Death for Adultery,” “Iranian Authorities Continue to Harass Activists Working for Women’s Rights,” and last summer’s #1 YouTube smash, “The Murder of Neda Agha-Soltan.”
“North Korea’s health system would be the envy of many developing countries because of the abundance of medical staff that it has available, the head of the World Health Organization said on Friday.”
““They have something which most other developing countries would envy,” Chan told a news conference, noting that her visit was a rare sign of the communist state’s willingness to cooperate with outside agencies.”
Oh you’ve got to be kidding me, right?
Ask to travel around outside the capital without escort, and see how much of that “willingness to cooperate with outside agencies” you find, mmmkay?
So I trust, then, that Ms. Chan will be scheduling all her future medical appointments in the paradise that is Pyongyang? You know, yearly physicals, mammograms, gyno exams? And will take her children (or grandchildren, I have no idea how old she is) there if they need their tonsils removed or an ear infection treated? Moron.
WHO director praise Auschwitz for having no signs of obesity.
“They had doctors, too. One really hard-working one, in fact. You might have heard of him,” she said.
Next up, WHO visits US military barracks, finds no obesity except for one guy with a jelly donut in his footlocker.
In a related note, North Korea has ended all hypothermia related death and disease with a ground-breaking burn everyone alive policy.
Uh, they probably made them write and publish the article while they were still in North Korea, and only after several editions and re-writes.
Even if Ms. Chan’s ridiculous findings were true, why is it that we’re using the yardstick of “developing nations” as a point of comparison? The only reason North Korea is still “developing” (which it really isn’t) is because its brutal, communist regime ran the economy into the ground for the last 50 years. Contrast, say, South Korea.
This is like chopping of a dog’s leg and then saying it runs really well for a three-legged dog.
High blood pressure is a health problem in western democracies. In fact, mine went up just from reading this article.
Hey, we should rejoice. We’re on a path toward a health care system every bit as excellent as North Korea’s.
It sounds like Our Dear Leader has struck gold. He just needs to write a book and start peddling his weight loss secret.
That’ll solve both NK’s poverty and the world’s obesity.
#7 goober1223
I think you missed this part of the article: “WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, speaking a day after returning from a 2-1/2 day visit to the reclusive country”.
Since the byline was Geneva, I’m assuming Ms. Chan and the sycophantic writer spewed this garbage of their own free will.
I’m sure 1860 Mississippi grew fine cotton.
See, this post should have been under the header of “Yer Afternoon Comic Relief”.
So many international organizations are so unintentionally funny it boggles the mind.
“WHO director praise Auschwitz for having no signs of obesity.”
““They had doctors, too. One really hard-working one, in fact. You might have heard of him,” she said.”
Lucy wins the entire internet for that one.
As one of the few who you are ever likely to come across who has any experience of dealing with N Koreans ….they’re short and yes, the only fat ones are the KGB peeps. That padding of an extra 10 or 20 lbs is a sure fire sign that they’re “connected”.
As a formerly highly paid engineer, and current fourth year econ grad student, I can attest to poverty being the most efficient weight loss plan imaginable.
I lost sixty pounds in the first two years, and eighty pounds in all four so far. The trick is, to not be able to afford food.
So the obvious public policy for treating the obesity “epidemic” and related health problems is to make our workers as unproductive as possible, i.e. everyone go to grad school forever.
Don’t forget how Iranian clerics blamed women for earthquakes.
“[...] there were no signs of the obesity emerging in some parts of Asia.
But she said conditions could be different in the countryside.”
Hah. Yes. I’m sure things could be different in the countryside, there, obese N. Koreans while away their days gobbling up all the food.
That sound you hear is my grandfather turning in his grave.
WTF are they smoking @ the WHO?
Not until the American capitalist pigs are smashed against the rocks of (knee)cap-and-(strangle free)trade, “financial reform”, Health Care Deform taxes (to drive small businesses to bankruptcy), etc..
And which countries might these be? I’m not currently aware of any.
Ranch “A” might have cattle that gets to graze in a fenced field, while ranch “B” might lock them all in stalls their whole life, but they’re all property.
Y’all ever see that Asian actor who does a Kim Jong Il impression? Could’t you just see him on TV advertising the “North Korean diet?”
“You Americans have a problem with obesity. We’re here to help.”
I wonder if she also commented on the fact that most NK people are shorter than average on account of malnutrition.
Or that NK carefully stage manages everything so that outsiders are never allowed to see the real NK.
I wonder what kind of ceremony there is going to be when Dear Leader “goes to live with his father” and “Almost as Dear Leader” takes his place? (IIRC, son #3 is the current favorite to succeed)
I wonder what the excuses of the apologists for the regime will be when it becomes clear to everyone that North Korea is the world’s only hereditary absolute monarchy?
In terms of women’s rights Iran is brutal and medieval compared to any Western democracy but they are actually pretty moderate by Middle East standards. Saudi Arabia is way worse.
I’m sure Sean Penn will be visiting North Korea very soon.
And the progressives really want this international government body to have more control over us?
I really was hoping that this was going to be an onion article. I was disappointed.
Wackadoo Enterprises announces the next great dieting plan that is GUARANTEED to help you lose weight: move to North Korea. Party like it’s 1949 as you conquer your wasteline in retro-chic Pyonyang, using Kim’s NK Starvation Solution.
NOTICE: We are not responsible for any oppression, torture, or death you might happen to suffer.
Isn’t it time you tried a weight-loss program that actually works? Try Kim’s NK Starvation Solution today!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potemkin_village
SJE – she specifically mentions that they are average Asian height and weight. whatever the hell that is, you would think someone from the WORLD Health Organization would know just how big Asia is.
Never mind that many other organizations place the North Korean average at 6 inches less than South Koreans, the most genetically similar group among “Aisans” that Chan could be referring too. A fact that Christopher Hitchens confirmed when he illegally entered the country to do a report on, btw he wasn’t personally escorted through the capital by the officials so there is good reason as to why his account is so starkly contrasted with this one.
The report is despicable, to serve an uncritical sycophantic role to such a brutal regime is a disgrace to everyone that has been affected by it.
“North Korea has none of that filthy excess we see in countries whose citizens aren’t considered the property of the state”
Which countries would that be?
And yes, the WHO and UN are worthless global government agencies funded predominantly by USA taxpayer money, same as the IMF. These people aren’t just idiots, they’re despicable political tools.
It’s worth noting that Chan is from the People’s Republic of China.
http://www.who.int/dg/chan/en/index.html
Chinese citizens don’t get to be people of international note without at least paying lip-service to this kind of nonsense, so this isn’t a massive surprise.
Under the Pahlavi dynasty, the Iranian police actually pulled the hijabs off of women’s faces and women were treated like real people, until 1979.
I’ve always thought that being oppressive to women makes the men look like wimps. Westerners ought to ridicule that aspect of Sharia culture constantly, instead of repeating the mantra, “they hate us because we’re free,” or doing the nation-building, Western-style democracy thing.
How can you pick on organizations with names so obviously benevolent as World Health Organization and United Nations? Who isn’t in favor of world health and how can anyone be against nations uniting for peace?
You radical fringe pessimists are just so not in tune with “the American people”. For your information, while not perfect, the Kim Jong-ils and Ahmadinejads of the world are people too! Instead of sowing ill will and hurting their feelings with your criticisms, you should learn to be more accommodating and respectful of their customs.
Can’t we all just get along?
Thank God I can sleep better at night now just knowing North Koreans are not fat.
Pass the Ambien please.
This is bullshit! Didn’t you all read what Marv said!? This is a liberal website! LIBERAL WEBSITE! AAAAGGGGHHHHH!
I don’t appreciate this inconsistent political reporting. I demand that this post be changed to reflect the progressive big government pandering that Marv expects of us!
@Elliot, the hijab’s the head covering. The niqab is the face covering.
/pedantry
While Saudi Arabia is about as inviting as a roll in a fire ant nest, Iran is only ‘moderate’ when compared to the former or to, oh, say, Libya or Syria.
A pile of dog shit may be smaller than a pile of bull shit on average, but it’s STILL SHIT.
Tangentially: There was a blog written by a Saudi who had been educated abroad, about the appalling mess that is the ‘Magic Kingdom’ (one of his nicknames for Saudi Arabia). He’s moved on (and moved out, thank God), but his blog can be found here at: http://muttawa.blogspot.com/
Dear Leader cures obesity when all the doctors in the world couldn’t!
Only the well-connected, coddled elite are allowed to live in Pyongyang, so her findings are utterly meaningless. The health of the population of Pyongyang cannot be assumed to correlate to the health of the rest of the population.