North Korea sends South shopping list of aid (Roundup)

Sep 7, 2010, 12:53 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.

Both moves came at a time of tense relations 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 aid request, which sought items not offered by South Korea's Red Cross.

North Korea's Red Cross sent the request Saturday, 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 on Tuesday also released 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, according to South Korean media reports.

The 55 Daesung and its crew were sent over the sea border in the Sea of Japan, also called the East Sea.

The crew confessed to having illegally fished in the North's exclusive economic zone.