South Korean Group to Send Food Aid to North Korea
- 14 years ago
With a severe food shortage crisis looming, North Korea is going to get a helping hand from its neighbor. A South Korean civic group prepares to send food aid to orphanages across the North.
On Tuesday, a South Korean civic group announced it will send food and other aid to orphanages in North Korea. The communist state is expected to suffer a severe food shortage this year as production in 2009 declined. It comes as the economy is already strained from its boycott of nuclear talks and a botched currency move.
[Venerable Pomnyun, Chairman, Join Together Society]: (Male, Korean)
"For 12,000 children and elderly people, we will provide food, weaning food, powdered milk, sugar and other daily necessities."
The group is planning to send aid to 50 orphanages and homes for the elderly. Sixty containers of supplies will leave the South Korean port city of Incheon on Saturday.
North Korea is under growing pressure to return to dialogue with regional powers where it could win large scale economic aid in return for steps to end its nuclear arms program.
South Korea has also said it will resume food aid if the North disarms.
Since President Lee Myung-bak took office in 2008, he cut-off food aid coming from South Korea that it used to receive each year.
North Korea can no longer rely on its lucrative arms sales. U.N. sanctions have cut off arms sales and blacklisted many of its trading companies.
North Korea's economy suffered a further blow late last year when it revalued its currency to curve inflation. With the hike in prices on consumer goods, many are having a tough time making ends meet.
On Tuesday, a South Korean civic group announced it will send food and other aid to orphanages in North Korea. The communist state is expected to suffer a severe food shortage this year as production in 2009 declined. It comes as the economy is already strained from its boycott of nuclear talks and a botched currency move.
[Venerable Pomnyun, Chairman, Join Together Society]: (Male, Korean)
"For 12,000 children and elderly people, we will provide food, weaning food, powdered milk, sugar and other daily necessities."
The group is planning to send aid to 50 orphanages and homes for the elderly. Sixty containers of supplies will leave the South Korean port city of Incheon on Saturday.
North Korea is under growing pressure to return to dialogue with regional powers where it could win large scale economic aid in return for steps to end its nuclear arms program.
South Korea has also said it will resume food aid if the North disarms.
Since President Lee Myung-bak took office in 2008, he cut-off food aid coming from South Korea that it used to receive each year.
North Korea can no longer rely on its lucrative arms sales. U.N. sanctions have cut off arms sales and blacklisted many of its trading companies.
North Korea's economy suffered a further blow late last year when it revalued its currency to curve inflation. With the hike in prices on consumer goods, many are having a tough time making ends meet.