hankyoreh

As the South Korean government halted aid to North Korea flood victims in October last year in the wake of the North’s nuclear test, the Ministry of Unification and related businesses have been discussing what to do with the remaining unshipped supplies.

The government planned to send relief supplies including rice, cement, and construction vehicles through the Korean National Red Cross in August last year to aid the damage sustained from flooding which hit both Koreas the month prior. However, due to the North’s October 9 nuclear test, the South suspended the intended aid shipments.

It is especially difficult to store and treat cement, according to industry officials. Up to 10,000 tons of cement currently lies in an open area at Donghae Port on South Korea’s east coast. An official of the industry said on condition of anonymity that the cement is hardening owing to the damp wind blowing in from the sea. Industry officials say that the cement needs to be used by early February.

However, the relief supplies for the North were financed by a government fund for inter-Korean cooperation; therefore, to sell them is a complicated procedure requiring National Assembly approval. Moreover, the cement was especially produced by three companies: Ssangyong, Halla, and Dongyang, further complicating the sale process. In South Korea, cement is used as a form of ready-mixed concrete, meaning that simply disposing of it will cause huge problems, as well: "In the worst case scenario, we should bury the cement - worth 850 million won (US$850,000) - and then there will be the problem of environmental pollution." Another official said, "To scrap the cement will require a huge amount of money. The best solution is to send the cement to North Korean regions where we can monitor its proper use."

The construction trucks that were to be shipped are posing another problem. The 25-ton trucks normally used in South Korea for construction work are banned from export to North Korea, so the government purchased 8-ton trucks from Daewoo Motor with some difficulty. Daewoo, which was going to sell the trucks overseas, will suffer a loss even if it manages to resell the vehicles, as they are now last year’s model.

As for the unshipped rice, it is currently taking a lot of money to maintain the crop, which is being kept near Ulsan Port. An official of the Ministry of Unification said that the government would draw up a plan to address the issue as soon as possible.


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