정부, 대북 인도적지원 내부 집행절차 곧 돌입... 식량지원은 별도로 검토<br /><br />Seoul will soon begin prodecures to deliver its 8-million-dollar donation to the World Food Programme and UNICEF.<br />Separately from that effort, the government will continue to hear from the public on sending food aid to Pyeongyang.<br />North Korea however, has not respond to these plans.<br />Oh Jung-hee has the full story. <br />South Korea is soon to begin the procedures required for its contribution to the UN for humanitarian assistance to North Korea.<br />Seoul's unification ministry had announced last Friday... that it will donate 8 million dollars to the World Food Programme and UNICEF... for projects in North Korea on nutritional support and maternal and child health.<br />"Related divisions will keep communicating with the World Food Programme and UNICEF to prepare for specific plans."<br /><br /> In 2017, South Korea had decided to offer the North 8 million U.S. dollars of humanitarian aid through UNICEF and the World Food Programme.<br />That assistance which had to be given by 2018 was never sent.<br />Seoul is to first discuss with the UN agencies about how the money should be spent... and then go through legislative procedures to deliver that fund.<br />On top of that, Seoul is preparing its food aid to the North separately.<br />"The government will collect opinions from the public and review options of whether to provide food aid directly to the North or indirectly through an international organization."<br />Seoul's unification minister met last week with religious and civic groups and local experts, and will meet with university heads and religious leaders this week to discuss the issue.<br />On Monday, Kim Yeon-chul met with Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong.<br />"Those who had sour ties were politicians and the governments. For ordinary citizens, being able to eat and live is a more important issue, and I think it's wrong to use food as weapons and threaten each other."<br />There's been no response yet from the North on Seoul's humanitarian aid announcement.<br />For the past three days, Pyeongyang's propaganda outlets have only urged the South to (quote)"stop depending on foreign forces," criticizing Seoul's recent bilateral working group meeting with Washington.<br />Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News. <br />
