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000 tons of corn to North Korea without a formal request from the North

In a reversal, the government has announced that it will provide 50,000 tons of corn to North Korea. Though the South had previously insisted that aid to the North had to be accompanied by a round of inter-Korean talks, it has changed its position and is currently waiting for a reply from the North.

During a briefing on June 30, the Ministry of Unification’s spokesperson, Kim Ho-nyon, said, “Even if the South and the North don’t meet, we can provide corn, if the North informs us of the details of how the food will be received in writing or by fax. We will be waiting for a positive response from the North.”

Prior to this, the government proposed discussing the issue of food assistance via the Red Cross in Panmunjeom in mid-May but the North has yet to send an official response.

It is remarkable to note the change in the government’s position, which has come on the heels of a U.S. agreement to provide food assistance to North Korea was signed on June 28, the day after the North exploded the cooling tower at its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon. U.S. boats carrying 38,000 tons of wheat, the first in what is to be a series of shipments of food aid, arrived at Nampo Port on June 29.

“Last week, the government asked for a reply from the North on corn assistance through the Red Cross at Panmunjeom, but a North Korean official refused the offer. The president of South Korea’s Red Cross tried to contact his counterpart in the North via telephone to confirm the North’s position, but North Korea so far refused even to receive the message.”

The government has decided that it will provide corn to the North without inter-Korean talks or contact if the North accepts the assistance from the South, according to Kim. If the North does not reply by mid-July, the South will provide food aid through international organizations such as the World Food Program after the results of an inspection of the North’s food supply, Kim added.

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