Korean Red Cross Announces Willingness to Provide Flood Relief Aid to North Korea
"Ready to Discuss... Expecting Prompt Response"
North Korea's Acceptance Uncertain... No Response to Quarantine Cooperation Proposal
The South Korean government has extended a helping hand to North Korea, which suffered severe flood damage due to heavy rains. Considering the serious damage situation, it proposed flood relief aid to North Korea for the first time in 12 years. However, given that inter-Korean relations remain tense, it is uncertain whether North Korea will accept the offer.
On the afternoon of the 1st, Park Jong-sul, Secretary General of the Korean Red Cross, held a briefing at the Government Seoul Office and stated, "From the standpoint of humanitarianism and compatriot love, we are willing to promptly provide urgently needed supplies to North Korean flood victims in response to the humanitarian difficulties faced by the North Korean people."
Secretary General Park said, "It is known that heavy rains in North Korean regions including Pyonganbuk-do and Jagang-do have caused significant damage to residents," adding, "We first express our deep condolences to the North Korean people who suffered great damage from the heavy rains." Regarding flood relief support, he said, "We are prepared to consult with the Central Committee of the North Korean Red Cross on the items, scale, and methods of support, and we hope for a prompt response."
It has been reported that severe flooding occurred recently in areas near the Amnok River in North Korea due to concentrated heavy rains. According to North Korean media, about 4,100 households were flooded in the downstream areas of the Amnok River, including Sinuiju City and Uiju County in Pyonganbuk-do. Farmland covering 3,000 jeongbo (approximately 900 hectares), as well as public buildings, facilities, roads, and railways, have been submerged one after another. Although the scale of casualties is expected to be significant, the North has not separately disclosed the extent of the damage.
Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, has been visiting the Amnok River basin, where flooding began on the 29th of last month, portraying himself as a 'leader who cares for the people.' He dismissed high-ranking officials, including the Minister of Social Security, equivalent to the head of the police, holding them responsible for failing to prevent the damage. North Korean media have broadcast images of him inspecting the damage sites by riding a large sport utility vehicle (SUV) through the floodwaters or touring flooded areas in a lifeboat.
When Kim Jong-un visited the flooded Sinuiju, he presided over the 22nd Emergency Enlarged Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. This 'Emergency Enlarged Meeting' is the first since the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating that the current flood situation has reached a 'national emergency' level.
Jong-Sul Park, Secretary General of the Korean Red Cross, is holding a briefing on flood relief support for North Korea at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 1st. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Initially, the Ministry of Unification refrained from commenting on humanitarian aid to North Korea until the morning of the same day, saying, "There is nothing to say at this stage," but within just half a day, the government expressed willingness to provide flood relief support. This suggests that the assessment of the damage situation in North Korea was severe enough to prompt this decision.
A Ministry of Unification official explained to reporters, "The government and the Red Cross decided after closely communicating upon recognizing the flood situation in North Korea." Regarding communication with North Korea, the official said, "Currently, there is no separate channel to convey the message," indicating that the proposal is being made through the media.
Since 2000, the South Korean government has directly provided humanitarian aid to North Korea for flood damage four times without going through international organizations. In 2005, it provided emergency relief sets worth about 200 million won for flood recovery, and subsequently supported 80 billion won in 2006, 42.3 billion won in 2007, and 7.2 billion won in 2010. The government also proposed flood relief aid in 2011?2012, but the offers were rejected by North Korea. Humanitarian aid to North Korea is executed using government funds or inter-Korean cooperation funds, and the supporting entity has been the Korean Red Cross.
However, the likelihood of North Korea accepting the proposal appears low. In May 2022, shortly after the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, South Korea proposed working-level talks for COVID-19 prevention cooperation, but North Korea remained unresponsive. A Ministry of Unification official said, "Large-scale damage does not occur every year in North Korea, and considering that this year's damage is estimated to be significant, we decided to propose flood relief support." Regarding the possibility of acceptance by North Korea, the official said, "We will not make assumptions," adding, "We hope North Korea will respond positively to our proposal."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
