Korean Rice Aid Increases from 50,000 to 100,000 Tons Annually... World Food Programme "Welcomes"

President Yoon Suk-yeol Announces Doubling of Aid at G7 Meeting
Secretary General McCain: "Korea, a Reliable Donor in One Generation"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's decision to double rice aid was welcomed by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in a statement.

Cindy McCain, WFP Executive Director, issued a welcoming statement on the 24th, expressing gratitude by saying, "The Republic of Korea is a model case of hunger resolution, having transitioned from a recipient country to a donor country for WFP."

This follows President Yoon's remark at the expanded session of the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in Hiroshima, Japan, on the 20th, where he stated, "Taking this meeting as an opportunity, we will double the scale of support for countries facing food crises starting next year." With this decision, the amount of rice aid provided by Korea will increase from 50,000 tons to 100,000 tons annually.

In the welcoming statement, Executive Director McCain emphasized, "In just one generation, Korea has joined the ranks of advanced countries and is a strong donor helping WFP protect millions of people from hunger every year."

According to WFP, currently 345 million people worldwide are suffering from food crises. This is an increase of 200 million since early 2020, with 43 million facing famine. WFP is urging advanced countries, including the G7, not to lose focus and support for the food crisis.