South Korea: Growth of relief supplies to North Korea to $17m

South Korea will deliver the relief supplies at a total cost of 17.8 billion won ($16.7 million) to North Korea this year. This cost of relief supplies is 26% more than in the previous year, the South Korean Ministry of Unification reported on Sunday. “Despite the criticism that Seoul helps Pyongyang insufficiently, the incumbent administration of South Korean President Park Geun-hye increased the amount of relief supplies to North Korea,” an official of the South Korean government said. Meanwhile, he noted that this tendency takes place amid North Korea’s third nuclear test in February and numerous threats to deliver strikes on Washington and Seoul. Fifteen South Korean non-governmental organizations account for about a fourth of relief supplies to North Korea (24.1%). The South Korean government delivers the remaining part of humanitarian aid.