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S. Korea sends rice aid to N. Korea
Source: Agencies |
September 18, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
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A convoy of South Korean trucks carrying the first rice aid to North Korea in three years crossed the peninsula's heavily armed border yesterday in the latest of a series of conciliatory moves between the rivals.
At the same time, officials from both countries met in the North Korean border town of Kaesung to discuss the resumption of reunions of families split by the Korean War which were halted after the sinking of a South Korean warship earlier this year.
Relations between the two Koreas have soured since South Korean President Lee Myun-bak's election in 2008, and then sank to their lowest point in decades at the start of the year with the sinking of a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors.
Former United States President Jimmy Carter, who visited Pyongyang last month, said North Korea was now sending a clear and strong signal to Washington and Seoul that it wanted to restart aid-for-disarmament talks.
South Korea, with Washington's backing, accused Pyongyang of torpedoing its warship in March, and responded with toughened sanctions against its already weak economy and by staging a series of joint military drills off the peninsula.
Pyongyang denies it sank South Korea's vessel but there have been signs of a thaw recently.
Severe flooding over the past two months has hit North Korea's food production that even in a good year falls a million tons short of the amount needed to feed its 23 million people.
Seoul this week announced its first substantial aid package to its destitute neighbor in more than two years after flooding killed dozens, destroyed thousands of homes and devastated farmland.
Yesterday, nine trucks carrying rice crossed the border at Paju, the second shipment inside a day after a fleet of trucks loaded with flour headed into North Korea.
In recent weeks, North Korea has made a series of conciliatory gestures, including releasing a South Korean fishing boat and its crew, as well as an American jailed in North Korea, and said it wanted to restart the so-called six-party talks joining the two Koreas, host China, the US, Japan and Russia.
The apparent thaw has prompted the start of shuttle diplomacy between regional nuclear envoys, fueling speculation of a resumption in the talks, which had been rendered all but irrelevant when North Korea tested a nuclear device last year.
At the same time, officials from both countries met in the North Korean border town of Kaesung to discuss the resumption of reunions of families split by the Korean War which were halted after the sinking of a South Korean warship earlier this year.
Relations between the two Koreas have soured since South Korean President Lee Myun-bak's election in 2008, and then sank to their lowest point in decades at the start of the year with the sinking of a South Korean warship, killing 46 sailors.
Former United States President Jimmy Carter, who visited Pyongyang last month, said North Korea was now sending a clear and strong signal to Washington and Seoul that it wanted to restart aid-for-disarmament talks.
South Korea, with Washington's backing, accused Pyongyang of torpedoing its warship in March, and responded with toughened sanctions against its already weak economy and by staging a series of joint military drills off the peninsula.
Pyongyang denies it sank South Korea's vessel but there have been signs of a thaw recently.
Severe flooding over the past two months has hit North Korea's food production that even in a good year falls a million tons short of the amount needed to feed its 23 million people.
Seoul this week announced its first substantial aid package to its destitute neighbor in more than two years after flooding killed dozens, destroyed thousands of homes and devastated farmland.
Yesterday, nine trucks carrying rice crossed the border at Paju, the second shipment inside a day after a fleet of trucks loaded with flour headed into North Korea.
In recent weeks, North Korea has made a series of conciliatory gestures, including releasing a South Korean fishing boat and its crew, as well as an American jailed in North Korea, and said it wanted to restart the so-called six-party talks joining the two Koreas, host China, the US, Japan and Russia.
The apparent thaw has prompted the start of shuttle diplomacy between regional nuclear envoys, fueling speculation of a resumption in the talks, which had been rendered all but irrelevant when North Korea tested a nuclear device last year.
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