hankyoreh

By Park Byong-su, staff reporter

The Ministry of Unification announced on Dec. 6 that it has given three civic organizations that provide humanitarian aid to North Korea permission to take relief goods into the country.

The civic organizations that have received the government’s permission to take goods into North Korea on this occasion are Seomgim, Caritas Korea, and Nanum International. The organizations generally work with infants and young children at nurseries and kindergartens in North Korea and with patients at county-level public hospitals. They are planning on sending a variety of relief goods to North Korea including the ingredients for making enriched bread, long underwear and other winter clothing for children, and basic medical supplies.

“We will also continue to provide permission to other organizations that have requested it as soon as they meet the requirements,” said Unification Ministry spokesperson Kim Ui-do.

Meanwhile, working-level officials from North and South Korea met at the Kaesong Industrial Complex support center to discuss technical issues in order to provide internet access at the complex and to improve telecommunications channels for the military. During the meeting of the inter-Korean joint committee in September, the two sides had agreed to continue discussion of the working-level issues related to internet connection at subsequent meetings.

However, since an internet connection would present a variety of complicated security issues, it is expected that considerable obstacles will have to be overcome before an agreement can be reached.

Separately from this, a team of six South Korean technicians were planning to visit the Kaesong Complex for a second time on Dec. 6 to set up an electronic access (RFID) system there, but their visit was delayed one day at the request of North Korea.

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