Korea pledges $120 mln to help Afghanistan

Published : Oct 6, 2016 - 11:27 Updated : Oct 6, 2016 - 14:15

South Korea has pledged to provide $120 million to Afghanistan to help the war-torn country build up its economy and society, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se announced the plan that will be carried out from 2017-2020 at a conference on Afghanistan held in Brussels, according to the ministry.

Under the four-year support plan, around $30 million will be provided to Afghanistan every year, which represents 0.78 percent of the annual contribution pledged by the international community, the ministry said.

The conference was attended by representatives of 75 countries and 25 global organizations who discussed ways to help Afghanistan's reconstruction efforts.

Yun Byung-se, South Korean Foreign Minister (Yonhap)

The participants agreed to keep their support for Afghanistan at the current level until 2020 and continue to make efforts to help the country maintain peace, foster economic development and eradicate violence.

During the conference, Yun emphasized the importance of sustainable peace in Afghanistan and for that matter, he noted that efforts should be made to improve peace, security, development and human rights at the same time, the ministry said. (Yonhap)