The government officially announced Friday its plans to offer aid to North Korea to assist in recovery efforts after recent deadly floods. Vice Unification Minister Shin Eon-sang said that the government resolved to provide emergency humanitarian relief, after taking into account the seriousness of the floods. With this package, the North will receive a total of W20 billion (US$1=W962) in relief aid: W10 billion from the South Korean government, plus relief goods worth W9.86 billion provided by civil humanitarian organizations.
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Members of humanitarian groups discuss government measures to provide flood relief to North Korea at a forum at the Government Complex Building in Sejong-ro, Seoul on Friday.
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However, controversy is expected over the government¡¯s blind relief plan, since the exact scale of the flooding damage in North Korea has yet to be determined. Vice Minister Shin said, ¡°The Chosun Shinbo (a newspaper published by the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon) had reported on flood damage data compiled as of July 17. I assume that damage must have increased since that time, as the North was subsequently hit again by heavy rainfall.¡± The Chosun Shinbo reported 549 people died, 295 are unaccounted for, and 70 million pyeong (one pyeong=3.3 square meters) of farmland were destroyed in the heavy rains. International organizations have also released their appraisal on the scope of the damages: the World Food Program said that 60,000 have been left homeless, and the Food and Agricultural Organization estimated that 32,000 tons of food were lost.
In a separate move, the government will give rice and equipment needed for restoration work to the North through the Korea National Red Cross by next Friday. A government official said the Red Cross would provide only "the practival level" of aid needed for immediate flood relief. However, it is expected that the government will provide far more aid through the Red Cross than its offer of W10 billion through other civic humanitarian organizations. The Korean Red Cross reportedly asked the government to provide some 100,000 tons of rice, which are worth W40-50 billion. If the scope of aid grows too vast, the government will likely be accused of resuming rice aid to the starvation-hit country, which it vowed to cease after North Korea test-launched missiles in early July.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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