hankyoreh

A South Korean ship carrying rice left for North Korea on Saturday as the North took a step closer to shutting down its main nuclear reactor, officials said. On Tuesday, South Korea pledged to resume rice aid to North Korea after more than a one-year hiatus as the North allowed international nuclear inspectors to visit its main nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, the first step to fulfill an agreement signed in February to disarm its nuclear weapons program in return for energy and other assistance.

"This afternoon, the first batch of rice aid left Gunsan port for North Korea's Nampo port," said an official at the Ministry of Unification.

The first shipment of 3,000 tons of rice came less than a day after inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and North Korean officials agreed on how to monitor and verify a shutdown of the Yongbyon reactor.

On Saturday in Beijing after their five-day visit to North Korea, the IAEA inspectors described their visit as "fruitful." South Korea plans to sent a total of 400,000 tons of rice to North Korea.

The entire shipment will be made over the next six months, according to the South's unification ministry.

North Korea needs humanitarian aid as its economy has been hit by economic mismanagement and natural disasters such as floods and drought.

Meanwhile, South and North Korean officials met in the North's border city of Kaesong this weekend to discuss energy aid to the North equivalent to 50,000 tons of heavy oil.

As part of the February agreement, North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactor within 60 days.

If the North shuts down the Yongbyon reactor and announces the dismantlement of its all nuclear weapons programs, Pyongyang can receive energy aid equivalent to 950,000 tons of heavy oil.

SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap News)