Corn aid to N. Korea may stop

Prof. Kim Sun-Kwon of Kyongpook University has informed North Korea of his intention to discontinue the work of developing and distributing the "super-corn" strain for the North unless a South Korean civic group pays for fertilizer he had delivered to Pyongyang last year.

The chairman of the International Corn Foundation said Monday that the Pan-National Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation or Minhwahyop had promised to foot the bill for the fertilizer he brought with him when he visited North Korea late last year. Citing a voucher made out by the North Korean Academy of Agronomic Science on April 12, 1999 showing that it had received 1,000 tons of compound fertilizer, Kim said that unless he was reimbursed, he would cancel his planned visit to the North in April to sow corn there.

According to Kim, his foundation bought the fertilizer with funds donated by citizens on condition that the council would reimburse him for it later, but the latter denied that it had made any such promise.

Kim went on to say that influential leaders of the organization, including presidential chief of staff Han Kwang-Ok, would provoke public outrage if they fail to make good on their pledge. The corn foundation was asked by the pan-national council to offer advance payment of 330 million won for 1,000 tons of fertilizer sent to the North on April 10 last year.

The foundation complied with the request and paid using its own money, Kim added.

The council failed to refund the money in the year and 10 months since the delivery was made, he said, threatening to take legal action against the Minhwahyop leadership in the court of justice.