SOUTH KOREA/NORTH KOREA: Despite peninsula tensions, South Korea approves private aid provision to North Korea

Record ID: 213928

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA/NORTH KOREA: Despite peninsula tensions, South Korea approves private aid provision to North Korea
  • Date: 22nd March 2013
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 22, 2013) (REUTERS) SOUTH KOREAN PROTESTERS BURNING PHOTOS OF NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG-UN AND NORTH KOREAN FLAG ON BANNER PROTESTER TRAMPLING BANNER PROTESTER SLASHING KIM PHOTO VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) PROTEST LEADER OH CHEON-DO SAYING: "North Korea has continued threatening us, so our government should be ready to strongly strike back at Kim Jong-un. If North Korea provokes again such as the Yeonpyeong Island attack, we should immediately strike back at the origin of the attack. I urge Kim Jong-un not to be obsessed by delusions, not to provoke." MORE OF PROTESTERS CHANTING SOUTH KOREA'S UNIFICATION MINISTRY'S SPOKESMAN KIM HYUNG-SUK ENTERING NEWS BRIEFING ROOM NEWS BRIEFING IN PROGRESS JOURNALISTS KIM STANDING ON PODIUM, SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREA'S UNIFICATION MINISTRY'S SPOKESMAN KIM HYUNG-SUK SAYING: "Despite heightening tensions with North Korea's threatening rhetoric, (we approved) the urgent aid (to North Korea) under a big framework that we should resolve the tense relations and open a happy age of unification together with North Korea eventually." NEWS BRIEFING IN PROGRESS SOUTH KOREA'S DEFENCE MINSTRY'S DEPUTY SPOKESMAN WEE YONG-SUB WALKING INTO NEWS BRIEFING ROOM NEWS BRIEFING IN PROGRESS JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREA'S DEFENCE MINISTRY'S DEPUTY SPOKESMAN WEE YONG-SUB SAYING: "We are fully aware of the difficulty of obtaining food and the deterioration of discipline among North Korean soldiers due to a serious food shortage in Spring." JOURNALISTS WEE STANDING ON PODIUM WEE LEAVING SOUTHERN
  • Embargoed: 6th April 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, Korea, Republic of
  • City:
  • Country: Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACIW274N1RITSF47CSK0KGR04M
  • Story Text: South Korea on Friday (March 22) approved the first shipment of private aid to North Korea since President Park Geun-hye took office in February as protesters held an anti-Pyongyang rally on the streets of the capital.
    The move comes amid deteriorating tensions between the two countries with the North threatening to use its nuclear weapons against South Korea and the U.S. for carrying out annual joint military drills. Pyongyang has been criticised by the international community for detonating a nuclear device in February.
    A small group of protesters in Seoul burned a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at an anti-Pyongyang rally.
    "North Korea has continued threatening us, so our government should be ready to strongly strike back at Kim Jong-un. If North Korea provokes again, such as the Yeonpyeong Island attack, we should immediately strike back at the origin of the attack. I urge Kim Jong-un not to be obsessed by delusions, not to provoke," said protest leader Oh Cheon-do.
    North Korea's artillery shells killed four South Koreans, including two civilians on Yeonpyeong Island in 2010.
    But despite the mounting tensions, Seoul's unification ministry approved the private aid to North Koreans in the hope of improving bilateral relations.
    "Despite heightening tensions with North Korea's threatening rhetoric, (we approved) the urgent aid (to North Korea) under a big framework that we should resolve the tense relations and open a happy age of unification together with North Korea eventually," said spokesman Kim Hyung-suk during a news briefing.
    A South Korean charity group, Eugene Bell, plans to ship tuberculosis medicine for about 500 North Korean patients in April.
    President Park has maintained a "trustpolitik" doctrine, that calls on building trust between the two Koreas.
    South Korea's defence ministry confirmed a report that the number of North Korean deserters has increased at the border area with China.
    "We are fully aware of the difficulty of obtaining food and the deterioration of discipline among North Korean soldiers due to serious food shortage in Spring," said deputy spokesman Wee Yong-sub during a news briefing.
    North Koreans suffered a devastating famine in the 1990s that killed an estimated one million people. Since then the country has continued to endure chronic food shortages, which many experts say reflect systemic failings in the country's heavily centralised economic system, sapping farmers' productivity.
    The reclusive country has vowed to strike back at the South and the United States for conducting joint military drills, which they see as a rehearsal for war.
    The North's state-run television KRT released video of North Korean soldiers training, and denouncing South Korea and the U.S.
    North Korea has been conducting large-scale military drills, that coincide with the annual exercises by the South Korean and U.S. forces, which run to the end of April. The allies have stressed the drills are strictly defensive in nature.
    North and South Korea are still technically at war since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce without a peace treaty.
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