South Korea recently proposed to flood-stricken North Korea that it would provide relief aid but the call has remained unanswered for nearly a week amid a continuing chill in their relations.
Seoul cabled the proposal under the name of the South Korean Red Cross president Monday, but the North has not given any reaction so far, a government official said in a press meeting Friday morning.
"We recently expressed our willingness to help the North's efforts to overcome flood damage," Unification Minister Yu Woo-ik said in a parliamentary meeting on Friday.
"A dry spell in May and June as well as recent heavy downpours coupled with typhoons resulted in the massive loss of human lives and damaged farmland, homes and infrastructure," said the head of the ministry, which handles inter-Korean issues.
The South is still waiting for the North to respond to the proposal, he said.
The latest proposal came after weeks of Seoul's inaction regarding widely reported flood damage in the North.
The impoverished reclusive country reportedly lost hundreds of lives in the recent typhoon and floods and experienced significant damage.
The South had remained mum, while foreign countries and international organizations provided monetary donations and relief goods to the North.
An array of local non-governmental aid groups are also expected to ship relief goods to the North later this month.
World Vision, a Christian charity group, said Friday it will send 500 tons of flour to the North around Sept. 14, later than its previous plan set for Sept. 11 due to some logistical reasons including securing flour inventories and transport. (Yonhap)