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South Korea Pledges Humanitarian Aid for North South Korea Pledges Humanitarian Aid for North
(about 9 hours later)
SEOUL — South Korea announced $7.3 million worth of humanitarian aid for North Korea on Sunday, a conciliatory gesture that coincided with a call by the South for “one last round” of make-or-break talks on restarting a jointly operated industrial complex. SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea announced $7.3 million worth of humanitarian aid for North Korea on Sunday, a conciliatory gesture that coincided with a call by the South for “one last round” of talks on restarting a jointly operated industrial complex.
The majority of the aid, $6 million, will be provided by the South Korean government and shipped through Unicef, the U.N. children’s agency, which provides vaccines, medicine and nutritional supplements for malnourished children and pregnant women in the impoverished North. The majority of the aid — $6 million — will be provided by the South Korean government and shipped through Unicef, the United Nations children’s agency, which provides vaccines, medicine and nutritional supplements for malnourished children and pregnant women in the impoverished North. Five private humanitarian aid groups from South Korea will provide the remainder; they will also send medicine and food for young children.
Five private humanitarian aid groups from South Korea will provide the remainder. They will also send medicine and food for small children. The South Korean minister in charge of policy toward the North, Ryoo Kihl-jae, said the aid shipments were not linked to political issues. But the announcement was contained in a statement in which Mr. Ryoo also called for a final round of talks with the North to settle disputes over the Kaesong industrial complex, which has been closed since early April.
Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae, Seoul’s top policy-maker on the North, said the aid shipments announced Sunday were not linked to political issues between the two Koreas. But the announcement was contained in a statement in which Mr. Ryoo also called for a final round of talks with the North to settle disputes over the Kaesong industrial complex, which has been idled since early April. There was no immediate response from the North Korean government.
There was no immediate response from Pyongyang. The economy in the North remains in dire shape despite international aid and gradual improvements in the North’s grain production in recent years. More than one-quarter of North Korean children under age 5 suffer from chronic malnourishment, according to surveys by the United Nations and international aid groups. South Korean government statistics showed that the North’s infant mortality rates in recent years were several times higher than those in the South.
Despite international aid and gradual improvements in the North’s grain production in recent years, more than a quarter of North Korean children under age 5 suffer from chronic malnourishment, according to surveys by the United Nations and international aid groups. South Korean government statistics showed that the North’s infant mortality rates in recent years were several times higher than those in the South. South Korean governmental and private aid for North Korea plunged by more than 95 percent over the last five years. Conservative South Korean governments curtailed aid shipments and trade with North Korea, citing its nuclear weapons development and military provocations, like the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010, for which the South Korean government blamed the North.
Earlier this month, nongovernmental aid groups in South Korea accused the conservative government of President Park Geun-hye of blocking urgent aid for North Korean children by delaying the approval of their shipment proposals — a charge the South Korean government denied Sunday. The North pulled its 53,000 workers out of the Kaesong industrial complex in April, citing military tensions that it said were caused by joint South Korean-American military exercises.
South Korea’s governmental and private aid for North Korea plunged from $395.6 million in 2007 to $12.7 million last year. The conservative South Korean governments that have been in power since 2008 have curtailed aid shipments and trade with North Korea, citing its nuclear weapons development and military provocations, like the sinking of a South Korean warship in 2010, for which Seoul blamed the North. The two Koreas held six rounds of talks this month on reopening the factory park without result. Each country has warned the other that the complex, the best-known symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation, would be shut down permanently unless the other side makes concessions.
Located in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, the complex has been idle since the North pulled out all its 53,000 workers in April, citing military tensions it said were caused by joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises.
The two Koreas held six rounds of talks this month on restarting the factory park. But those talks ended last week without an agreement by the two sides to meet again. Both South and North Korea have since warned that the complex, the best-known symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation, will be permanently shut down unless the other side backs down.
“Throughout the six rounds of talks, our government has consistently demanded guarantees from North Korea that it will never again shut the complex down for political and military reasons and that it will allow free business activities there according to international standards,” Mr. Ryoo said. “But the North has refused to make these very basic promises.”“Throughout the six rounds of talks, our government has consistently demanded guarantees from North Korea that it will never again shut the complex down for political and military reasons and that it will allow free business activities there according to international standards,” Mr. Ryoo said. “But the North has refused to make these very basic promises.”
North Korea has insisted that the shutdown was the South’s fault. It has also accused the South of making unreasonable demands as a pretext to terminate the Kaesong project. North Korea has insisted that the shutdown was the South’s fault. It has also accused the South of making unreasonable demands as a pretext to terminating the Kaesong project.
The complex was the last of a group of cross-border projects set up during an earlier period of rapprochement and then halted one by one as relations soured in recent years. It opened in 2004 and produced $470 million worth of goods last year, according to the South Korean government. The complex was the last of a group of cross-border projects set up during an earlier period of reconciliation and then halted one by one as relations soured in recent years. It opened in 2004 and produced $470 million worth of goods last year, according to the South Korean government, which provided the figure in dollars.
Supporters of the project see it as a landmark experiment in paring South Korea’s manufacturing know-how with North Korea’s low-cost labor to prepare for the economic integration and eventual reunification of the two Koreas. But critics have argued that it has only funneled badly needed cash to the North Korean regime and its nuclear weapons program. Supporters of the project see it as a landmark experiment in pairing South Korea’s manufacturing skills with North Korea’s low-cost labor to prepare for the economic integration and eventual reunification of the two Koreas. But critics have argued that it has only funneled badly needed cash to the North Korean government and its nuclear weapons program.