Lactose Intolerance: Simon Fujiwara

In an official statement released from Pyongyang, the government denied American claims that the termination of fresh milk production in the entire state of North Korea was due to the poor treatment and welfare of its cow population. Although milk has been consumed for centuries on the Korean Peninsula and despite its natural origins, it is considered a Western product in the communist state and is just one of a number of food products that have been outlawed in recent years as agricultural productivity dwindles under the pressure of international sanctions. According to officials, the recent ban is due to the population's growing intolerance to certain bacteria which reside in milk that are 'incompatible with the North Korean biological disposition' and if left uncontrolled could 'threaten the legacy of its people'. Effective as of May 1st, the new legislation would allow the importation of powdered, homogenised milk under ‘extremely exceptional circumstances’ and only when state officials are satisfied that the product would pose no threat to national security.