Source: Korea Herald
Country: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
A group of religious and civic leaders
yesterday launched a signature campaign to advocate food and medicine aid
for
hungry North Koreans. ''We are starting a signature-collecting campaign to help the famine-stricken North Koreans,''
they said in a statement, adding that it aims to ship 1 million tons of food to the North. The group leaders, including
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan and the Buddhist Rev. Song Wol-ju,[urged greater roles on the part of the South
Korean government to help the North Korean people.
''The government and the National Assembly should actively join the food-aid campaign for North Koreans who are
dying of starvation and disease,'' they said in the statement. The government should set aside a special fund to finance the
shipment of at least 500,000 tons&of food to North Korea and allow South Korean business firms and the news media
to raise the funds.
Meanwhile, a federatZon of Presbyterian churches in South Korea said that it will give 10,000 tons of corn worth 1.3
billion won (about $1.5 mi6lion) to North Korean churches this month. The federation, which purchased the corn June
16 in China, plans to initially deliver 2,000 tons of corn to the North via the Korean National Red Cross July 15 .
The planned delivery of corn is part of its promised food aid to the North Korean Christian Federation in the United
States last March, church officials said. In another food-aid move, the government said it will send by sea its promised
50,000 tons of corn to the North by the end of next month, officials said Friday.
In May, South Korea promised the grain aid as part of the U.N. World Food Program assistance to North Korea. The
government will ship it to North Korea's Nampo port, the officials said. This marks the first time that Seoul is sending its
portion of the international food aid program to the North without using an intermediary, they said.
The food aid is valued at about $10 million and will be paid for by the South-North Korean Economic Cooperatio'
Fund.
Copyright 1997 Korea Herald. All rights reserved.
hungry North Koreans. ''We are starting a signature-collecting campaign to help the famine-stricken North Koreans,''
they said in a statement, adding that it aims to ship 1 million tons of food to the North. The group leaders, including
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan and the Buddhist Rev. Song Wol-ju,[urged greater roles on the part of the South
Korean government to help the North Korean people.
''The government and the National Assembly should actively join the food-aid campaign for North Koreans who are
dying of starvation and disease,'' they said in the statement. The government should set aside a special fund to finance the
shipment of at least 500,000 tons&of food to North Korea and allow South Korean business firms and the news media
to raise the funds.
Meanwhile, a federatZon of Presbyterian churches in South Korea said that it will give 10,000 tons of corn worth 1.3
billion won (about $1.5 mi6lion) to North Korean churches this month. The federation, which purchased the corn June
16 in China, plans to initially deliver 2,000 tons of corn to the North via the Korean National Red Cross July 15 .
The planned delivery of corn is part of its promised food aid to the North Korean Christian Federation in the United
States last March, church officials said. In another food-aid move, the government said it will send by sea its promised
50,000 tons of corn to the North by the end of next month, officials said Friday.
In May, South Korea promised the grain aid as part of the U.N. World Food Program assistance to North Korea. The
government will ship it to North Korea's Nampo port, the officials said. This marks the first time that Seoul is sending its
portion of the international food aid program to the North without using an intermediary, they said.
The food aid is valued at about $10 million and will be paid for by the South-North Korean Economic Cooperatio'
Fund.
Copyright 1997 Korea Herald. All rights reserved.