Korea Offers $10 Mil. More in Aid to Haiti

By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter

The government decided to send additional aid worth $10 million to earthquake-hit Haiti in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, a foreign ministry official said Monday.

The relief effort is seen to reflect South Korea's determination to actively join the international efforts.

"The plan includes short-term emergency relief and long-term support for restoration work, which will be funded not only by the government but also by civic organizations," ministry spokesman Kim Young-sun told reporters.

In a bid to discuss details regarding the size and distribution of the assistance, the government will hold a meeting of policymakers and NGO leaders today, he added.

The NGOs will include the Korean National Red Cross and the Federation of Korean Industries.

Seoul offered relief goods worth $1 million last week to the Caribbean country devastated by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

President Lee Myung-bak hinted that additional assistance was on its way in a telephone conversation with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Saturday.

"We will carry out our duties in the international community," GNP floor leader Ahn Sang-soo said. "We plan to adopt a parliamentary resolution to help Haiti as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, 35 South Korean relief workers arrived in the country Sunday via Santo Domingo, the capital of the adjacent Dominican Republic and are helping to search for trapped survivors, the spokesman said.

They will support relief activities on site until Jan. 21, when they assess when to withdraw.

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr