US aid group sends medical equipment to N. Korea

A US aid group has sent medical and rehabilitation equipment to North Korea for the treatment of people with pediatric development disabilities, according to the website of its co-founder.

IGNIS Community sent a cargo ship last week from the Chinese coastal city of Dalian to the North's western port city of Nampo carrying medical treatment beds, pediatric therapeutic equipment and other items, Joy Yoon said in a statement on the website.

"The medical equipment is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang within a week or two," she said. "This is the first medical shipment of several more to follow."

The medical equipment will be used in Pyongyang Spine Rehabilitation Center, which IGNIS Community recently built in the North's capital, Yoon said.

She cited global sanctions and tightened border controls due to the coronavirus pandemic as challenges in sending aid to the reclusive country.

IGNIS Community received a sanctions waiver for its activities in North Korea last September and had the exemption extended in February. (Yonhap)