South Korea Considers Providing Aid to North Korea Despite Provocations

FILE – South Korean trucks with food aid prepare to leave for North Korean city of Kaesong in Paju, South Korea..

okyo, MINA – South Korea is considering providing USD 8 million in aid to North Korea via international organizations despite North’s repeated provocations, Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday.

The government plans to hold a meeting on inter-Korean cooperation next Thursday to finalize whether to offer humanitarian assistance to those who are vulnerable in North Korea, according to the Unification Ministry.

Seoul suspended its aid to North Korea through UN agencies after the North’s nuclear and missile tests in 2016.

If approved, the South would provide USD 4.5 million for a project to help infants and pregnant women by the World Food Program,(WFP) and USD 3.5 million for the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

“The government’s basic stance is that humanitarian assistance to those who are vulnerable in North Korea should be continued regardless of political considerations,” a ministry official was quoted as saying.

“Seoul plans to decide the details of the aid and its timing after taking into account the inter-Korean situation,” he added. If agreed, it would mark the resumption of aid via UN organizations after a hiatus of nearly two years.

The move comes at a delicate time when the UN Security Council on Monday slapped new tougher sanctions over Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test.

The government said that it has explained its aid plan to the US in order not to give a wrong message to the international community focusing on pressure and sanctions on the wayward regime. (
(E/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)