North Korea sends South shopping list of aid

Sep 7, 2010, 6:06 GMT

Seoul - North Korea requested aid in the form of rice, cement and construction equipment from South Korea after the impoverished country was hit by floods last month, the government in Seoul said Tuesday.

The appeal was made in answer to an offer by South Korea's Red Cross to send food, medicine and other aid valued at 10 billion won (8.5 million dollars) to flood victims.

It also came at a time when already tense relations between the two Koreas were worsened by the March sinking of a South Korean naval vessel, which killed 46 sailors. South Korea blamed its neighbour while the North denied involvement.

The Unification Ministry in Seoul said South Korea would consider the request, which sought items not offered by South Korea's Red Cross.

South Korea received the request Saturday from the North Korean Red Cross, the Unification Ministry said. Both governments routinely use the Red Cross to communicate with one another on humanitarian issues.

The state-run media in the Stalinist country reported at the end of August that flooding near the border with China had caused the evacuations of thousands of people.

North Korea's answer to the South's offer of aid came two days before North Korea announced that it would release an impounded fishing boat and its seven crew members who were taken into custody a month ago after Pyongyang said they had crossed its maritime border.

Its state media said the 55 Daesung and its crew would be sent over the sea border in the Sea of Japan, also called the East Sea, on Tuesday on 'patriotic and humanitarian grounds.'