Seoul to Monitor Food Aids Distribution in NK
2003-09-19
Seoul will send inspectors to North Korea this month to check whether or not Pyongyang is diverting food aid to its military.
“We will send delegations to three North Korean ports to ensure transparency in the distribution of the supplied foods,” Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said during a weekly briefing.
Some conservative media outlets allege the North funnels food aid from the South and other nations to feed its 1.2 million troops.
According to Jeong, three five-man teams will visit Cheongjin on Saturday, Nampo on Sept. 25 and Heungnam on Sept. 29.
“They will interview residents and take photos of the ports for around six days,” he said.
The minister downplayed the significance of China's recent deployment of additional forces along its border with North Korea. “We estimate the reinforcement is purely to beef up security along the border, not due to any special diplomatic reasons,” he said. Jeong said China deployed forces not only near North's border, but also along its boundary with neighboring Myanmar. “We don't need to exaggerate the meaning of the fact,” he added.
Concerning possible subsidies for Hyundai Asan's Mt. Geumgang tour project, Jeong said it will take some time to win approval from the National Assembly. “There are different views over the approval of the Assembly, which delays the decision. We are now persuading lawmakers,” Jeong said. The legislature has declined to give the go-ahead for subsidies, citing the North's nuclear ambitions.
According to the minister, the North suggested the military of both Koreas should guarantee the smooth running of the Mt. Geumgang tours, the construction of Gaeseong complex and reconnection of inter-Korean roads and railways, during a working-level military meeting held Wednesday. “This is very meaningful progress in that the North promised to back the inter-Korean projects militarily,” he said.
He said the visit to North Korea by Chinese National People's Congress Chairman Wu Banguo is part of busy diplomacy between Beijing and Pyongyang. “I understand he will visit the North on Sept. 20 and is to discuss various subjects as well as the nuclear issue,” the minister said.
Source : www.korea.net
