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Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa takes a souvenir photo with UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake after presenting him with two Winter Olympics mascots on Sept. 19. (Provided by the Foreign Ministry)

South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha said on Sept. 19 that a decision on the timeline of humanitarian aid to North Korea would be “based on a comprehensive consideration of the situation, including current inter-Korean relations and North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported on Sept. 20. Kang, who is currently in New York to attend the 72nd UN General Assembly, made the remarks while meeting that day with UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.

“It is also our administration’s basic position that humanitarian aid to North Korea should be considered separately from the political situation,” she said beforehand.

The remarks were something of a departure for Kang, who previously said humanitarian aid would be “pursued without political considerations.” The position from Kang, who was long involved in human rights-related duties for the UN and has stated her clear support for humanitarian aid, is being seen as reflecting the general mood for the Moon Jae-in administration, which has recently been considering “adjusting the timeline” for aid.

Lake told Kang that UNICEF’s position was to approach humanitarian issues separately from political ones, stressing that humanitarian aid to North Koreans – especially children – should be continued regardless of the recent political situation on the Korean Peninsula. He also emphasized the urgency of aid due to poor nutritional and health conditions for children people in North Korea.

In a related development, following a Sept. 21 meeting of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council, the Unification Ministry announced that the government had decided to go forward with plans to provide the aid. However, a press release issued by the Ministry noted that, “the timing and specifics of when to provide this aid were not decided at the meeting. We will consider the state of the North-South relationship and the overall conditions [on the Korean Peninsula] before deciding upon the timing and scale of the proposed aid.”

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

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