North Korea has allowed South Korean non-governmental groups to monitor food aid distribution sites after Seoul made monitoring a precondition of resuming civilian aid to the country.
The Unification Ministry says it received a video earlier this month from the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation that shows a flour distribution area in North Hwanghae Province. The Seoul-based organization has sent 1,000 tons of flour to the North since last month, and this is the first time an NGO has submitted this kind of evidence to the government.
The government had asked for evidence amid concern that aid sent to the North is redirected to the elite and military instead to those who need it most. The government has also asked the NGOs for data related to the recent flood damage in the North. |