$70 Million Worth of Fertilizer to be Supplied to North Korea This Year

The government reported the confirmed content and budget ($129.2 million) for four projects among those that support North Korean aid programs for this year to the National Assembly.

Support for the North Korea aid programs that the Ministry of Korea Unification reported to the North-South Korean Diplomatic Commercial Relations Committee of the National Assembly include: support for 200,000 tons of composite fertilizer ($70 million), a medical health project ($2 million) through an international organization, construction costs for base equipment at the Gae Sung industrial complex ($47 million), and 50 percent support (at most $10 million) to private organizations of North Korean aid projects.

An official at the Ministry of Korea Unification clarified that “200,000 tons worth of fertilizer will be furnished around April-May, when it is best used for spring manure, through the Korean Red Cross Society, and the cost of $70 million for the purchasing and shipping of the fertilizer will be replenished from the inter-Korean cooperation fund”.

According to this official, “the government is planning to execute a $0.9 million malaria prevention project with the aid of WHO during April, as well as a large scale $1 million North Korean children nutrition improvement project through UNICEF, before late June”.

He also added that in terms of the construction costs for base equipment at the Gae Sung industrial complex, “following the policy of regarding Gae Sung industrial complex as a domestic industrial complex, we are planning to support the cost of disposal of wastewater and construction of a main road in the full amount.”

Seung-Ryun Kim srkim@donga.com