Seoul prudent about North Korea humanitarian aid

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul welcomes David Beasley, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme, to his office in Seoul, Monday, ahead of their discussions on providing humanitarian food aid to North Korea. Yonhap

By Lee Min-hyung

The government will only provide humanitarian food aid to North Korea after establishing a national consensus, Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.

This shows the government is becoming prudent in providing aid after Pyongyang lambasted the plan through its propaganda media outlets Sunday.

“President Moon Jae-in said in a recent televised talk show on KBS that the government needs to win public consensus and hold discussions with the National Assembly before pushing ahead with the plan,” Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Ko Min-jung told reporters in a media briefing.

The President has asked for a meeting with leaders of five parties, and the next concrete step for the food aid plan can be discussed afterwards, Ko said.

The meeting, however, is not expected to be realized in the immediate future, as the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) has demanded a one-on-one meeting between its leader Hwang Kyo-ahn and the President.

But the presidential office refused to accept the demand, with a spokesman saying Moon wants Hwang to attend the meeting with four other party leaders.

The discussion on food assistance comes at a time when the North shows signs of returning to its bellicose past. Last week, Pyongyang launched what were presumed to be short-range missiles into the seas off its east coast.

On Sunday, Meari, a propaganda website for the North, said, “It would be ridiculing the yearning of the nation to have empty words like plans and humanitarianism while putting fundamental issues on the back burner.”

Despite the resumption of such provocative actions, South Korea is in a position to provide the humanitarian assistance the North needs.

On Monday, David Beasley, executive director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) met with the the foreign and unification ministers to discuss the food aid.

In his meeting with Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, both reached a consensus in dealing with the humanitarian issue separately from political affairs.

“I agree with the WFP's position of separating humanitarian support from politics,” Kim said. “The unification ministry hopes to continue having in-depth negotiations with the WTP over humanitarian aid to the North.”

Beasley also responded by saying the organization would continue partnering with the government to address the issue.

The WTP representative then held talks with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.

The foreign ministry said both parties exchanged their views on the recently released U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Program's Rapid Food Security Assessment. The report showed the egregiously poor condition of the North's food production.

The meeting between the ministers and Beasley was arranged upon the request of the WTP.

To be in line with Cheong Wa Dae's drive, the unification ministry said it would hold a public meeting to receive more comprehensive opinions from people nationwide.

As a first step, the minister plans to have a luncheon meeting with experts on food aid today.

Ministry spokesman Lee Sang-min said participants in the meeting will include members from nongovernmental organizations, religious groups and experts on the issue.

“The ministry will keep taking steps to gather additional opinions from the public,” Lee said in a media briefing.

“We need to receive the public's support and reach a consensus with them when dealing with the humanitarian aid issue. Regardless of whether they are progressives or conservatives, we are going to continue conferring with people from all walks of life.”