Government Reviews Plans to Fund $50 Million to South Asia

The government is reviewing plans to fund $50 million for the restoration and reconstruction of the South Asian countries that were devastated by the earthquake and tsunamis. The figure is 10 times larger than the amount that the government had been discussing until Sunday.

Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan plans to express such plan at the extraordinary summit meeting of the ASEAN countries in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 6.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ban Ki-moon said at an unofficial press conference on Sunday that the fund amount will be finalized at a meeting of governmental and nongovernmental organizations for helping the tsunamis-stricken countries presided over by the prime minister on January 4. The exact amount cannot be revealed, but it will be around the tens of millions, the foreign minister added.

Meanwhile, in the extraordinary session of the ASEAN summit conference, besides the 10 member states of the ASEAN, an additional 10 countries including Korea, the United States, Japan, China, and the World Health Organization, World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank were invited. Korean Prime Minister Lee, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan are expected to participate in the meeting.

Yong-Gwan Jung Hyong-gwon Pu yongari@donga.com bookum90@donga.com