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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Koreans Try To Resolve Famine Relief Disputes North And South Red Cross Officials Hold First Meeting In Five Years

The Washington Post

With the threat of widespread famine looming in North Korea, Red Cross officials from North and South Korea on Saturday held their first meeting in five years in an effort to resolve disputes blocking the delivery of emergency food aid from the South.

The two delegations held talks for two hours at a hotel here in the capital of China, which is the only place regarded as neutral ground by the Koreas, which view each other as enemies.

International Committee of the Red Cross officials said the Korean delegates discussed three key issues: what route the food aid will take to North Korea, how South Korean aid packages and bags will be labeled, and how the delivery of the food will be monitored to make sure it actually gets to the poor and hungry instead of the military and privileged others.

There was no resolution of the issues, but the two sides are to consult with their governments and reconvene on Monday.

South Korea wants its food aid to go through a border point along the Demilitarized Zone where the truce ending the 1950-53 Korean War was signed. Currently all food aid to North Korea either travels by rail from China or arrives at the North Korean port of Nanpo.

South Korean Red Cross officials also want the bags and packages of food clearly marked as coming from South Korea, a point the North Korean government is likely to resist because it would represent an embarrassing admission of failure in the Communist North, which has long preached self-reliance.

Whether the food reaches the truly needy is also a key issue for donors. Visitors to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, see little sign of famine or hunger, raising suspicions that the government there is giving priority to people living in the politically sensitive capital, which is home to political elites.

Red Cross officials reiterated Saturday that needs are dire in North Korea.

“The situation over the last two months has gone from alarming to desperate,” said Ole Gronning, who supervises the agency’s effort.