South Korea has recently sent a sum of $8 million in aid to the North through U.N. agencies – UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP) for children, pregnant women and vulnerable social groups following the sanction by the US to cutting 90 percent of trade and 30 percent of oil imports to North Korea.
South Korea’s recent offer of humanitarian assistance has been criticized by some U.S. experts. Some say the aid could be seen as undermining international efforts to isolate North Korea financially while others are of the opinion that it was both a goodwill gesture and a calculated move to leave a diplomatic door open.
However, The U.N. is in support of the South Korean decision stating that “The U.N. sanctions against [North Korea] explicitly recognize that special steps must be taken to ensure that sanctions don’t add to the suffering of innocent children, too many of whom in [the country] are already experiencing malnutrition,” said Chris de Bono, UNICEF’s regional chief of communication in East Asia and Pacific.
“This is why the Security Council sanctions resolutions — including the new resolution adopted last week — include a special paragraph that says that essential lifesaving humanitarian work must be allowed to continue and that the restriction does not apply to life-saving work for the poor and disadvantaged.”
