Escaped North Koreans reported in September 2010 that starvation had returned to the nation.[73] North Korean pre-school children are reported to be an average of 3 to 4 cm (1.2 to 1.6 inches) shorter than South Koreans, which some researchers [who?] believe can only be explained by conditions of famine and malnutrition.[74] Most people only eat meat on public holidays, namely Kim Il-sung's and Kim Jong-il's birthdays.[75]