The Ministry of Unification (MOU) announced on December 5 that the government plans to give USD 5.65 million (approximately 6.5 billion won) in aid to North Korea via the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The UNICEF programs will be directed to the most vulnerable sectors of the North Korean population, including infants, children, and pregnant or nursing mothers. Among these, USD 2.8 million will be allotted for vaccines and medical supplies, 2.5 million for programs to treat and prevent malnourishment, and 350,000 for miscellaneous administrative needs.
According to MOU estimates, at least 1.5 million mothers and children can be expected to benefit from the programs, which are scheduled to run from January to December of 2012.
On December 1, trucks carrying 300 tons of flour left Paju in Gyeonggi-do for Jeongju, Pyeonganbuk-do, in North Korea. Made possible through a fundraising campaign put on by a local organization, the shipment was sent to various facilities in the area, included three childcare centers.
Since 1996, the South Korean government has sent a total of USD 20.95 million of aid to North Korea through UNICEF. With this decision, which marks the first time that aid programs have been implemented since 2009, the sum of governmental aid to North Korea will reach a total 26.6 million.
This measure underwent evaluation by the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Committee, the membership of which include leaders of various civil society organizations and high-ranking officials in related ministries such as the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Ministry of Justice. The passing of this measure is consistent with the call for a more flexible approach to North Korea that has been put forward by Minister of Unification Yu Woo-ik since his inauguration in September of this year.
On November 5, Yu met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during a visit to the United States and expressed his intentions to actively look into pursuing an expanded program of humanitarian aid to North Korea via UN organizations. Soon after, on November 9, the Ministry of Unification agreed to resume sending medical assistance to North Korea through the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Committee also approved a 2.4 million won loan to the Kaesong Industrial District Management Committee for the purchase of land that will be developed for use as vehicle inspection stations and parking for commuter buses. The repayment period has been set at five years, with a grace period of ten years and an annual 1% interest rate.
The Korean government has also allotted approximately 2.7 million won for the provision of medical facilities for Korean employees at Kaesong. Plans are underway for a medical center to be set up in a renovated committee building, and the facilities will include an emergency room, an internal care room, ten sickbeds, and the services of two doctors, two nurses, an emergency medical technician, and other staff members.
An additional 6.9 million won will go to helping to strengthen initiatives to create joint Inter-Korean entities, currently in their second year of development.
Kwon Jungyun Korea.net Staff Writer
