South Korea proposed a meeting with North Korea about sending 50,000 tons of corn to the impoverished nation, but the North has yet to respond, Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong told reporters Wednesday.
"We hope North Korea will respond to the offer positively as soon as possible," Kim said. "The government may consider sending aid through the UN World Food Program if the North continues to keep silent on the offer." If the North accepts the offer, the corn will be the first food aid from South Korea since the inauguration of the Lee Myung-bak administration started a new ice age in relations.
"The North originally requested the corn during the inter-Korean summit and the prime ministers talks last year," he said. "The government decided in December to give 50,000 tons of corn aid to the North. It has been delayed as international grain prices soared and China implemented a food export quota."
He said when the government decided to give the aid, corn was priced at US$350 per ton. "It'll be hard to provide all of the 50,000 tons with the money we originally earmarked, as corn currently costs about $420 per ton. But we're going to provide the 50,000 tons we agreed to, from the humanitarian standpoint regardless of the cost."
