South Korea permits transfer delivery of medicines, humanitarian aid to North Korea

The Ministry of Unification (MOU) said on Thursday that Seoul had authorised three additional requests to provide healthcare-related help to North Korea, as per the reports of NK News. South Korea last approved help in late July, the first time since North Korean forces shot and killed a South Korean official in North Korean seas in September 2020. This approval comes following the reinstatement of inter-Korean hotlines earlier this week.

One of MOU officials said that the government believes that humanitarian cooperation between the two Koreas should be promoted separately from political and military situations. Areas in need of urgent humanitarian cooperation such as support for health and nutritional supplies for vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women should be continued. South Korea has declared that inter-Korean humanitarian cooperation should continue regardless of the peninsula's political and military realities.

Names of commodities not revealed

The decision was made in light of agreements reached between South Korean business organisations and their North Korean partners, as well as practical considerations for assistance export and transportation, according to the ministry. At the request of the organisations and in view of the potential impact on the projects' success, the ministry did not reveal the names of the groups or the number and type of commodities as it did in July. According to the MOU official, all of the measures necessary for the export of products to North Korea are moving well.

Despite international efforts to supply humanitarian relief, North Korea's strict border restrictions have made it extremely difficult for humanitarian workers to transport aid to the country since the COVID-19 outbreak began. As of March of this year, there are no known international NGO workers in the country, according to NK News.

North Korea tightens border control to prevent COVID

Since early last year, North Korea has tightened border controls to prevent a coronavirus pandemic on its soil. However, there are some hints that it may be loosening the prohibitions, with commerce with China increasing dramatically in recent months. According to South Korean News Agency Yonhap, the World Health Organization has started shipping COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea through the Chinese port of Dalian, according to previous reports.

Image: AP