Business Standard

S Korea to offer $8 mn aid to North through UN organisations

Among the total, $4.5 million would be given to the WFP, while the remaining $3.5 million was allotted to the Unicef

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, celebrates what was said to be the test launch of an intermediate range Hwasong-12 missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Photo: PTI| AP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, celebrates what was said to be the test launch of an intermediate range Hwasong-12 missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. (Photo: PTI| AP)

IANS Seoul
South Korea on Thursday decided to offer $8 million of humanitarian aid to North Korea through UN organisations.

The inter-Korean exchange and cooperation committee was chaired by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon to approve the aid's provision to the projects of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) for infants and pregnant women in North Korea, reports Xinhua news agency.

Among the total, $4.5 million would be given to the WFP, while the remaining $3.5 million was allotted to the Unicef.

It was in line with the government's basic stance that its humanitarian aid to Pyongyang would be treated separately from political situations.
 
The Unification Ministry, however, said that the actual provision of the funds would be implemented after considering overall situation including the inter-Korean relations.

The implementation of the aid was expected to be delayed as tensions ran high on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang's continuous nuclear and missile provocations.

On September 3, Pyongyang detonated its sixth nuclear device, seen as the most powerful ever conducted by the Asian country.

The approval for the aid marked the first time since President Moon Jae-in's government took over in May. The previous government suspended humanitarian aid following Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test last January.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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First Published: Sep 21 2017 | 5:14 PM IST

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