South Korean government to discuss resumption of humanitarian aid to North Korea

Posted on : 2017-09-15 18:58 KST Modified on : 2017-09-15 18:58 KST
Ministry of Unification will evaluate plans for providing up to US $8 million in aid
North Korean children in Pyongyang receive UNICEF food distribution in May 2013. (Hankyoreh Archive Photo)
North Korean children in Pyongyang receive UNICEF food distribution in May 2013. (Hankyoreh Archive Photo)

The South Korean government plans to pursue the resumption of humanitarian aid to North Korea through international organizations, which was suspended during the preceding Park Geun-hye administration. The plan means that Seoul intends to provide humanitarian support to children, women, and other vulnerable North Koreans even as it joins in intensified international sanctions after the North’s recent nuclear and missile provocations.

“In response to requests from UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and other international institutions, we plan to discuss providing a total of US $8 million in support during a scheduled meeting of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council,” a Ministry of Unification official said on Sept. 14, adding that the “specific forms of support and timeline will be decided after comprehensively taking into account inter-Korean relations and various other factors.”

The council, which is in charge of discussing and implementing policies related to inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, is chaired by the Ministry of Unification and includes representatives at the vice-ministerial level from related ministries, along with private experts appointed by the Prime Minister. Current law states that disbursements of 500 million won (US $440,000) or more are subject to a review and vote by the council. If the council does approve the support, it will be the first example of aid to North Korea in the 21 months since Dec. 2015, when US $800,000 in aid for a UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Socio-economic Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS) was provided during the Park administration.

The government states that it is considering two projects for support. The first is a US $4.5 million WFP nutritional support program for child care facilities, children’s hospitals, and pregnant women. The project plan, published jointly in March by six UN organizations operating in North Korea, estimated that around 18 million of North Korea’s 24.9 people require assistance due to food shortage and malnutrition.

Also under consideration is a US $3.5 million UNICEF project providing vaccinations to children and pregnant women, costs for necessary medications for diarrhea and contagious respiratory diseases, and treatments for malnutrition. World Health Organization (WHO) figures put the mortality rate for North Korean children five and under at 25 per 1,000 (compared to three for South Korea). Twenty-two percent of deaths are due to acute respiratory disease and diarrhea, which could be treated if medications were available.

Meeting with reporters on Sept. 14, a key Blue House official said it was “possible to have humanitarian aid through international organizations regardless of the political situation.”

“The track with regard to North Korea’s missiles is different from the humanitarian track. We’ve also debated this, but we concluded that the right thing would be to address this issue separately,” the official said.

When asked if the decision could be seen as a conciliatory gesture to Pyongyang, another Blue House official said, “It’s a different matter from that.”

By Jung In-hwan and Jung Yu-gyung, staff reporters

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