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The South Korean government is putting aggregate strength in grasping the situation and arranging support in response to the huge explosion that occurred at Ryongchon Station in Ryongchon, North Pyeongan Province, North Korea. The government sees the accidental explosion as a serious situation that can influence the state of affairs in Northeast Asia and urgently dispatched a Red Cross team to Dandong, China, near the area of the accident.
The South Korean government concluded tentatively -- based on the overall information from Korean embassies abroad and satellite photos provided by the U.S. -- that the explosion was not a terrorist act against North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, but a simple accident due to decrepit facilities.
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An railway bridge crossing the Yalu River between the Chinese city of Dandong and the North Korean city Shineuiju. Another bridge is also under construction. China confirmed that an explosion occurred at the North Korean railway station of Ryongchon, 20 kilometers south of here.
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However, the government began arranging countermeasures with the cooperation of the ministries of Unification, Foreign Affairs and National Defense and other organizations, keeping in mind the enormous influence on the North Korean nuclear issue and inter-Korean relations the incident would have should it appear an act of terrorism.
The government also felt the influence international support for North Korea's disaster recovery might have on the international conditions surrounding North Korea would be enormous, even if the explosion is revealed to be a simple accident.
The South Korean government decided to provide humanitarian support since the accident turned out to be much worse than expected. Acting President Goh Kun received reports from Foreign Affairs Minister Ban Ki-moon on Friday and expressed his deepest condolences to the North Korean authorities and instructed immediate support measures be taken by to the ministries of Unification and Foreign Affairs and other related organizations.
Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said at a weekly briefing, ¡°We see the urgent need for medical supplies and daily necessaries. Since there is a channel between the North and the South, we will provide the needed products to the North.¡± However, there weren¡¯t any official requests for support from the North as of Friday afternoon.
The Korean Red Cross decided to positively support North Korea with medical personnel, medicine, daily necessities and food in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross. The Uri Party, the Grand National Party and other ruling and opposition parties urged the government to come up with support plans.
(Shin Jung-rok, jrshin@chosun.com )
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