hankyoreh

A foreigner samples foods that are representative of what typical North Korean people eat during a campaign to raise money to combat hunger in North Korea in Insadong on May 29. The food shown above is a kind of gruel made of herbs and corn.

The campaign organized by the Join Together Society is one of a series of campaigns organized by the group to prevent starvation in North Korea. Through the campaign, which runs from May 26 to May 31 in 12 large cities including Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, the group hopes to raise money to buy food to send to North Korea

JTS also sent 200 tons of wheat flour to the North Korean city of Nasun from Busan Port on May 27 in the first shipment of food sent by the group this year.

The Venerable Beomnyun, the chairman of the group, said, “Since early April, there have been reports of deaths from starvation in North Korean detention centers,” adding, “We urge the South Korean government to send 200,000 tons of food to North Korea as emergency aid.”