Government Approves Export of Hand Sanitizers Worth 100 Million KRW to North Korea (Comprehensive)

Approval Granted for Civilian Group's First North Korea Aid Shipment This Year
Ministry of Unification: "Masks Are Not Included"

At the entrance of Pyeongcheon District Hospital in Pyongyang, North Korea, a nurse is measuring the temperature of visitors on the 1st to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The government has approved the export of quarantine supplies worth approximately 100 million KRW by a private organization planning to support North Korea.

On the 2nd, an official from the Ministry of Unification told reporters, "Regarding COVID-19, export approval was granted on the 31st of last month for one organization that met the requirements for support to North Korea."

He added, "The approved items consist of hand sanitizers worth about 100 million KRW, and masks are not included."

The official stated, "The funds for procuring the quarantine supplies were raised independently by the applying organization," and added, "We cannot disclose the name of the organization, the export route of the items, or the delivery schedule." He explained, "This is because the organization carrying out the support project wishes to keep these details confidential to ensure smooth progress."

This is reportedly the first time this year that export approval has been granted for North Korea-bound supplies from a domestic private organization.

As COVID-19 has struck the world, domestic and international private organizations have raised the need for quarantine support to North Korea. Some organizations have attempted to carry out support projects but have not been able to accelerate progress.

The government has emphasized that private organizations wishing to support North Korea must meet requirements such as ▲ signing an agreement with the North ▲ securing funding ▲ having concrete plans for procurement and transportation of supplies ▲ ensuring transparency in distribution.

Some have voiced complaints that "the government is demanding excessively high requirements and standards for private inter-Korean exchange and cooperation projects."

The Ministry of Unification official said, "The organization approved this time met the necessary requirements and was granted export approval."

There is also anticipation that private support projects for North Korea will become more active starting with this first export approval.

The official added, "Although export approval has not yet been granted, there are several organizations that have applied for support to North Korea," and "They are currently preparing to meet the necessary requirements for support."

The government is also monitoring the international situation and North Korea's COVID-19 status. The Ministry of Unification official said, "Regarding inter-Korean health cooperation, the government basically sees cooperation as necessary," and "We will comprehensively review related matters and determine the timing and method of implementation appropriately."

The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party, reported on the 26th of last month about North Korean girls wearing masks looking at the spring flowers in full bloom in downtown Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, regarding the Voice of America (VOA) report on the 2nd stating that South Korea was the largest donor country for humanitarian aid to North Korea in the first quarter of this year, the Ministry of Unification stated that "there is an error in the interpretation of the data in the report."

VOA reported, based on data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), that South Korea donated about 5.7 million USD to North Korea in the first quarter, making it the largest donor country.

An official from the Ministry of Unification said, "That amount represents the commitment we have made to provide support," and clarified, "It is clearly marked as a 'commitment,' not an actual disbursement." He explained, "A commitment can be understood as a 'promise to support,' and it means that the support intention has been expressed, but the funds have not actually been disbursed."

He added, "Of the approximately 5 million USD approved by the government last year through the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council (Gyochuhoe), 1 million USD has been disbursed, but 4 million USD remains undisbursed," and said, "In OCHA's data, it is marked as 'incoming,' which means 'funds expected to be received.'"