Gyeonggi Province Shares Love with North Korea, Sends Wheat Flour

Gyeonggi Province sent what flour aid to North Korea via Imjingak on September 16th, marking the first such aid effort among local Korean governments.

This aid is significant in that it was transported by land prior to Chuseok and will be given to nurseries first.

– On September 16th, 300 tons of wheat flour was sent to Gaeseong, North Korea, an area that has suffered from severe flooding. Overall relief totaled 530 tons, 230 tons of which was from private organizations. © G News Plus

On September 16th, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government sent 300 tons of wheat flour to Gaeseong, North Korea, an area that has suffered from severe flooding.

The provincial government accepted the central government’s proposal to send relief to North Korea, which has been suffering rom severe flooding, and has engaged in continuous consultations with central government organizations to this end. After the central government permitted the relief to be sent, the provincial government dispatched it immediately.

On September 16th at 8:30 a.m., the provincial government held a ceremony at Imjingak and sent 300 tons of wheat flour to Gaeseong, North Korea. This quantity of wheat flour is sufficient to feed approximately 30,000 people for a month.

In addition to the 300 tons sent by the provincial government, the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, Women’s Federation for World Peace, Girls Scouts Korea and Korean Federation of Teachers’ Association sent 130 tons of wheat flour, and Inter-Korean Aid sent an additional 100 tons, for an overall total of 530 tons.

This aid is significant in that the relief was sent by land to Gaeseong, which was formerly part of Gyeonggi Province. Especially, the provincial government assigned special meaning to the relief being sent prior to Chuseok. The wheat flour is expected to be a great boon to North Koreans, who have suffered due to recent severe flooding, and is slated for priority provision to nurseries and social minorities.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Government also sent supplies for the prevention of malaria to North Korea on August 17th, and, on the 31st of the same month, it entered into business tie-ups with Inter-Korean Sharing and World Vision, private organizations to provide relief to North Korea, and entered into an agreement to send KRW 300 million worth of baby food and milk powder to infants and children in South Hwanghae Province, which has also suffered due to severe flooding. This is the largest scale relief effort among local Korean governments to date. The provincial government will decide the date for the dispatch of support and apply for transportation soon.

According to the North Korean media, 110 houses and 4 bridges in Gaeseong City were destroyed by torrential downpours (324mm). Also, approximately 28 million square meters of agricultural land were flooded, which signifies that about 100 thousand citizens, or one third of the population of Gaeseong City, may have difficulty obtaining food.

– Trucks loaded with relief pass through the inter-Korean immigration checkpoint on September 16th at 10 a.m. © G News Plus

– Wheat flour collected by the provincial government and private organizations is sent to North Korea © G News Plus

G News Plus / Reporter Lee Dong-Youl

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