South Korea’s Minister of Unification declared this morning that Seoul is willing to provide North Korea with flood relief aid.
Minister Ryu Woo Ik, who was attending a meeting of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, responded to a question about flood relief from a Democratic United Party lawmaker by saying, “There is a willingness to propose aid related to North Korean flood damage.”
The same lawmaker went on to assert that this may be the last chance for the Lee administration to improve relations with the regime of Kim Jong Eun, to which Ryu responded, “We are willing to observe the contents of the discussions with private groups and then make a proposal even in the absence of a North Korean request.”
Three private groups are due to visit North Korea today and early next week to discuss aid issues.
Hwang Jin Ha, a lawmaker with the ruling Saenuri Party, added that there is a budget to be spent on such things, commenting, “Of the entire 1.9 trillion won inter-Korean cooperation fund, a mere 4.1% is being used. We should actively pursue utilizing that budget for humanitarian purposes such as North Korean flood damage.”
