ROK Completes Corn Shipment to NK
2003-10-01
South Korea has completed the shipment of 100,000 tonnes of corn to hunger-stricken North Korea, a Unification Ministry official said on Tuesday (Sept. 30).
The aid shipment, which was made at the request of the World Food Program (WFP), is to be delivered to WFP officials in the North who will then distribute and monitor the use of the corn.
So far, North Korea has limited outside inspection of its food distribution system, arousing speculation that the country may be diverting aid to its military.
However, the reclusive country has recently become cooperative in accepting South Korean requests for onsite inspections, according to Seoul officials.
South Korea has provided about 400,000 tonnes of corn to the North via the international aid agency since 1996, a year after the North's fragile economy was further devastated by mismanagement and natural disasters.
The poverty-stricken North has been relying on outside aid to help feed its 22 million people
Source : www.korea.net
