Aborted flood aid

NK’s rejection darkens inter-Korean ties

Hopes for improved inter-Korean relations are fading out as North Korea rejected the South’s flood aid Wednesday.

In its cable earlier in the day, the North said the aid wasn’t needed to cope with suffering caused by recent torrential rains and typhoons. The rejection came two days after North Korea accepted the South’s proposal to offer flood aid.

On Tuesday, Seoul notified Pyongyang of its intention to provide 10,000 tons of flour, 3 million packets of instant noodles and medical aid worth about 10 billion won. The South also said it could discuss additional items wanted by North Korea.

It’s disappointing that North Korea has turned down Seoul’s aid offer without much consideration and our hope that the assistance may serve the purpose of improving the chilly inter-Korean relationship has all but vanished.

As expected, the North is reportedly dissatisfied with the kind of relief items proposed by the South.

Last year, Pyongyang asked Seoul to provide rice, cement and heavy construction equipment after the South offered to send 5 billion won in relief aid to the North. South Korea rejected the request out of fear that those items would be diverted for military purposes. Instead, it proposed delivering baby food, biscuits and instant noodles. The North didn’t respond.

Apparently conscious of last year’s bungled assistance, North Korea’s Red Cross chief Jang Jae-on asked his South Korean counterpart to present a detailed plan about which items would be sent and the quantity in his message conveyed through a Red Cross channel Monday. North Korea also stressed that the situation that “happened last year should not be repeated.’’

North Korea’s rare move was a testament to the severity of the natural disasters that the communist country has said left hundreds of people dead and 220,000 homeless. Some North Korea watchers interpreted the North’s rejection as meaning that there is a long way to go before the two Koreas improve ties dramatically.

North Korea should be blamed because we hear that Seoul officials have not ruled out rice and other sensitive items during their internal negotiations on relief items.

True, the inter-Korean contact, if realized, would be highly meaningful in that it will be the first since the North’s leadership change.

Despite the North’s rejection of aid offer, South Korea needs to be proactive toward the North, taking into consideration that a new leadership was launched in the reclusive country. Specifically, Seoul’s move to help the young North Korean leader obsessed with improving people’s living standards could give a positive signal to Pyongyang.

The inter-Korean relationship has been icy over the last four and a half years as the Lee Myung-bak administration kept a hard-line stance and North Korea unleashed a string of provocations. Given that the current deadlock should not continue into the next administration, we urge North Korea to take the path of reform and openness by changing its system fundamentally. <The Korea Times>

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