[imText1]Last August 11, the South Korean government announced that it would provide 20 billion won to help North Korea recover from its flood disaster with private organizations supporting North Koreans. Besides it, the government publicized it would offer rice and recovery equipment through the Korea National Red Cross.
Shin Uen Sang, vice-minister of the National Unification, also announced that the severity of North Korea’s flood disaster and the increasing demand of politics and people in other fields created this humanitarian aid and the participation in the emergency relief aid. Thus, he emphasized this aid came from purely humanitarian intention similar to the Youngchun damage recovery aid carried out at the pan-public level in 2004.
At present, it is expected that the government and private organizations will set up 50 billion won for recovering North Korea’s flood disaster, which is more than we expected. However, Han Wan Sang, president of the Korea National Red Cross, announced that WFP estimated the flood disaster damage of North Korea at 30,000 to 100,000 tons, and thus the amount of money corresponding to the queantity will be a standard to aid North Korea. This means the aid for North Korea this time will be more than expected now.
As the government said, if 100,000 tons of rice is provided to North Korea, its expenditure will be 187 billion won.
Such an action of the government was taken after “Chosun Shinbo’ issued an article saying that the number of causality of North Korea’s flood disaster amounted for more than 4,000 on the 7th. Moreover, on the 9th North Korea officially demanded aid from South Korea via ‘The South Committee for the 6.15 Joint Statement Actions’.
Before the request, some civil associations, organizations for North Koreans and politicians had urged the government to take some action for North Korea’s flood disaster. This trend led the government to take that aid without struggling to read public opinions. The aid for North Korea suspended before because of the missile conflict, and at present resumed at the ‘humanitarian level’. However, It has political implications.
In regards to this aid, some criticized the government. They pointed out that if the aid food distribution is not monitored, it will lead to support for the North Korean government, not the North Korean people.
On the 17th, ‘Free Intellectuals’ Declaration’(co-representative; Choi Gwnag) made a statement saying that, “some civil associations appealed to the government for humanitarian aids on a condition of monitoring the food distribution. Yet because monitoring is impossible, the ‘humanitarian aid’ is just hypocrisy and injustice.
The Council for the Private North Korea Associations “ There has been no answer to the request of visits to flooded areas in North Korea”
In regards to the visit request, the Council for the Private North Korea Associations that will manage 9.4 billion won corrected by itself and 10 billion won from the government demanded North Korea to show its opinion in writing. Yet North Korea had given an answer yet.
Yeun Hyun Chul, head director of ‘South-North Sharing Movement’, revealed during an interview with DailyNK that, “we have sent groceries such as wheat flour with the money corrected by associations for North Korea. We also have requested North Korea to allow us to spot visits to the flooded areas. However North Korea might refuse the request.”
He added that, “We would like to monitor aid goods more strongly, yet North Korea might opposite this action. Nevertheless, we can not stop aiding the North Korean people”. In addition, he stated, “Although spot visits are not approved, this aid should keep being carried out to aid the flood sufferers”.
Regarding the demand for extended monitoring, an official in the Ministry of the National Unification stated that, “Until now, whenever we had sent 10,00 tons of rice to North Korea we had received a report from the North Korea. Aftermath, we had visited 4 to 6 places for spot inspection of proper distribution”.
Subsequently, he said that, “This aid has been carried out through private organizations. Because of it, we was not able to ask for monitoring from North Korea”. It is expected that transparency problem will arise.
