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The losses that have resulted from the disastrous train explosion in Ryongchon, North Korea, are so serious that one would not find a similar example on either side of the DMZ. One whole city has been laid to waste.
The urgent matters at hand are treating the countless wounded, rescuing those made homeless and rebuilding what has been destroyed. For this, both the giver and the receiver must find quick and effective relief methods and establish an aid system in the spirit of pure humanitarianism. They must be able to remove political intentions and be able to break the barriers presented by differences in regime type and administrative systems. We must actively push plans to evacuate the wounded to medical facilities in Dandong, China or dispatch South Korean medical teams and facilities to the disaster site. Of course, we must send medical supplies and relief food by the quickest path possible.
The entire society is engaged in donation campaigns to help the North Korean victims, and the government has been very quick to respond. The intentions are good, but if we¡¯re too noisy about it, it could provoke the North Korean authorities or local citizens. Even if the government and civilian sector is being quiet about it, it must gather wisdom in finding sincere methods of providing assistance.
North Korea, too, must have an open mind. If North Korea is particular about this and that, it will only increase the pain of the disaster¡¯s victims. Since its famine, North Korea has been openly accepting outside aid for the last 10 years, and through its experiences in that time, the good intentions of the international community must have been sufficiently confirmed. In addition, since this is an emergency situation, it must make decisive preparations to accept aid that go beyond internal ideology and legal formalities.
Through the process of post-disaster reconstruction, we must add a silver lining to this cloud. North Korea will encounter even greater economic burdens, and it will have even less resources to put into economic reform projects like the Sinuiju Special Economic Zone. The psychological influence this tragedy will have on locals will be significant as well. If the North Koreans use this opportunity to awaken to just how important its relations with South Korea and the international community are, this tragedy will not be in vain.
This tragedy has clearly shown that South Korea¡¯s government and society is not stingy as far as humanitarian aid to the North is concerned. Civilian aid to North Korea, too, has regained its vigor through the tragedy. If Korean companies come to participate in the reconstruction efforts, intra-Korean cooperation will be taken to the next level. More than anything else, the most precious thing we can earn in the course of overcoming this tragedy is for authorities both North and South and their respective citizens to sooth each other¡¯s pain and confirm their respective warm heartedness.
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