The Gyeonggi Provincial Government, Inter-Korean Sharing and World Vision have entered an agreement to provide nourishing food and milk powder to infants and children in nurseries in North Korea, an initiative that is expected to smooth inter-Korean relations.

– The Gyeonggi Provincial Government entered an agreement with private aid organizations including Inter-Korean Sharing and World Vision to provide KRW 300 million in nourishing food and milk powder to infants and children in nurseries in North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Jinhwan Hwang, G News Plus

The government of Gyeonggi Province, a divided province, will provide nourishing food and milk powder to infants and children in North Korea as part of one of the largest relief efforts ever undertaken by a local government in Korea.

This initiative is expected to contribute to smoothing inter-Korean relations, which have been strained since the sinking of the Republic of Korea Navy corvette, the Cheonan .

On August 31, the provincial government entered an agreement with private aid organizations including Inter-Korean Sharing and World Vision to provide KRW 300 million in nourishing food and milk powder to infants and children in nurseries in South Hwanghae Province, North Korea.

This makes it possible for 5,000 infants and children in Cheondeok-Ri, Bongsan-Gun and Geumsan-Ri, Junghwa-Gun, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, to eat meals for at least 6 months.

According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization, 7.5-million people, 32% of North Korea???s population of 23 million, suffer from starvation.

In particular, 37% of North Korean children are undernourished and thus underdeveloped. Nourishing food is in urgent y needed.

Accordingly, the provincial government has decided to support those infants and children as a part of humanitarian aid for North Korea; the initiative will be carried out by private aid organizations that have engaged in aid projects for North Korea.

This project is expected to exert a positive influence on inter-Korean relations that have been strained since the sinking of the Cheonan, which was part of the motivation for the provincial government.

In addition to the food supply, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government is considering a plan to help flood victims in Sineuiju, North Korea, and plans to discuss details with the central government.

On August 17th, representatives of the provincial government visited North Korea, the first such visit after the 524 sanction, in order to offer medical supplies for the prevention of malaria.

Additionally, Gyeonggi Province plans to found a college to study the matters of reunification as announced by Governor Kim Moon-Soo during his inauguration, and to hold international conferences on the subject of North Korean human rights as a part of comprehensive policies for reunification.

On the day of the agreement, Governor Kim said that inter-Korean collaboration has been suspended because of the sinking of the Cheonan , but that the province will continuously pursue humanitarian aid such as the inter-Korean water control project to prevent the flooding of Imjin River and the supply of livestock products and agricultural products.

– G News Plus News / Gyoungwoo Nam, echo2008@kg21.net