S. Korea Weighing Aid for North Amid Reported Food Shortages - Unification Ministry

SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) South Korea is considering helping out the North with supply of rice and fertilizers amid reports of food shortages in the northern neighbor, stressing that it will continue to separate humanitarian issues from politics, the unification ministry said on Friday.

On Thursday, Unification Minister Lee In-young said that that the North, hit by torrential rains and typhoons in 2021, was likely to face a food shortage of about 1.3 million tonnes this year. The country has also witnessed a decline in humanitarian aid due to pandemic-induced border closures.

"[I]t is the Government's unwavering position that humanitarian issues such as food shortages should be dealt with regardless of political and military situations. The Government will closely watch the North's overall humanitarian demand, such as its need for rice and fertilizers; consider issues linked to coronavirus situations and the entry of materials to the North; and ensure that a consensus is reached among our people," ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo told a briefing.

According to the official, the cabinet feels that humanitarian cooperation with Pyongyang should improve North Korean people's livelihoods in the first place.

The ministry, she added, has no specific plans on such assistance at the moment.

In the past, North Korea has repeatedly rejected offers of assistance from Seoul. The Communist country was recently reported to have suspended imports from abroad over fears of coronavirus spread.

Meanwhile, Pyongyang has applied for receiving vaccines via the global procurement tool COVAX.