Director Won says NIS is considering allowing aid collected by civil society for N. Korea

Posted on : 2009-09-29 12:38 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The NIS gives a positive sign for the resumption of humanitarian aid corresponding with North Korea's efforts to coordinate family reunions, but the Cheong Wa Dae denies it
 Sept. 27.
Sept. 27.

Won Sei-hoon, the director of the National Intelligence Service, said on Monday, “The government is going to consider a step to correspond with North Korea’s humanitarian step of cooperating on the reunion of dispersed family members.”

Director Won made this statement during a session of the National Assembly’s Committee on Intelligence in reply to a question from a lawmaker. Democratic Party Lawmaker Park Ji-won had asked him, “Since the Lee administration has said that it would consider sending humanitarian aid to North Korea, in the form of food and fertilizer, if officially asked, is it willing to consider North Korea’s request for an action from South Korea corresponding to its efforts to facilitate reunions between dispersed family members as an official request and respond with aid?

Jang jae-un, the head of the Chosun Red Cross Society, had said on Sep. 28, “This reunion is a result of North Korea’s good will. Is South Korea willing to express a good will corresponding to it?” Analysts are interpreting Director Won’s response as a sign that the administration will be giving support to North Korea.

In regards to the current situation where South Korean civic organizations are unable to send goods that have been collected for aid to North Korea and have been stored in Incheon harbor, Won said, “As long as they are not strategic materials, we will consult with the relevant agencies to make it possible to send those goods to North Korea.”

However, Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) Spokesperson Park Sun-kyu said at a regular press conference, “We are currently not considering providing large scale support of either food or fertilizer for North Korea.”

Park also said, “However, we intend to give humanitarian aid to North Korea if we judge it to be necessary.” Park added, ”We are still providing humanitarian aid in the form of medicine, corn, and milk for the elderly and weak, including infants and toddlers.”

When journalists questioned if the regularization of reunions for dispersed families provides a condition for corresponding action for supporting North Korea, Park said, “The regularization of family reunions is one of the factors being considered, but it is not serving as the basis for our decision.”

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