North Korea: We No Longer Need Humanitarian Aid

North Korea conveyed a message that it will no longer need UN humanitarian assistance after 2005, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Saturday.

The OCHA was confused when North Korea delivered its message on August 10 through the UN office in Pyongyang, despite the recent crop and house damage caused by floods, Kyodo News reported. It is known that North Korea has not given any explanation for its stance.

The OCHA said that North Korea still needs humanitarian aid during a meeting with North Korea’s ambassador to the UN at UN headquarters. The North Korean ambassador responded that he would wait for further notice from authorities, a UN diplomatic source said.

Kwon-Heui Hong konihong@donga.com