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South Korea plans to provide $8 mln humanitarian aid to North Korea

In August, the UN allocated $5.9 mln to help North Korean citizens

MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. South Korea’s ministry of unification has come out with an initiative to offer an eight-million U.S. dollar humanitarian aid to North Korea via international organizations, Yonhap said on Thursday.

A government meeting on Thursday will decide where these funds are to go. The ministry suggests a sum of 4.5 million U.S. dollars be allocated to North Korean children and pregnant women via the Un World Food Program and 3.5 million more - via the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). "The government will specify details of the aid and its timeframe after analysis of the situation on the Korean Peninsula," the agency quoted a ministry spokesman.

According to the United Nations, dry weather hit North Korea’s cereals growing regions in April. AS of July, up to 59% of the harvest in various regions of North Korea were lost. Most severely affected was rice production as rice requires a lot of water.

In August, the United Nations allocated 5.9 million U.S. dollars to help North Korean citizens affected by the drought. The UN Food Program promised a relief aid of 53 million U.S. dollars. Earlier, only France, Russia, Canada and Switzerland have extended assistance to North Korea under the World Food Program.