S. Korea green-lights N. Korea aid worth $13 mln

A South Korean government panel on Thursday approved the unification ministry's plan to provide North Korea with US$13.3 million in humanitarian aid via international organizations.

Under the decision, the South will contribute $6.3 million to the World Health Organization's projects to help babies and pregnant women in the impoverished communist nation, who are in need of more medical services.

Seoul will also offer $7 million in nutritional assistance for them through the World Food Program as they are especially vulnerable to malnutrition.

The South plans to spend an additional 36 million won ($34,000) to support the implementation of the aid programs, which will be financed by the government's South-North Cooperation Fund, according to the ministry.

In August, the ministry announced the fresh aid program and it was approved by the inter-agency council on inter-Korean exchange and cooperation Thursday.

It is apparently to follow up on President Park Geun-hye's ambitious "Dresden Declaration" in March.

On her trip to the former East German city, Park vowed efforts to promote the "humanity, co-prosperity and integration" of the two Koreas as part of her administration's efforts to lay the groundwork for reunification.

At that time, Park stressed the need to help babies, pregnant women, children and mothers in North Korea. (Yonhap)