S. Korea sending fertilizer north

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean trucks delivered fertilizer to impoverished North Korea today, crossing the world’s most heavily armed border as the United States tries to decide whether to provide food assistance this year to the communist country.

In Washington, the State Department said Friday it is weighing the North’s needs in comparison with other countries’ over its decision on food aid this year.

The decision will not be affected by political factors, said spokesman Richard Boucher, dismissing concerns that the international standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program may prompt Washington to halt its food aid to the communist state.

“We don’t calibrate or decide on food assistance based on political factors and we do want to help the people of North Korea and make sure the people who are in need get the food that they need,” Boucher said.

Last year, 50,000 metric tons of American food were sent to North Korea through the World Food Program.

A decision on food assistance to the North is likely by Sept. 30, Boucher said.

The South failed during talks this week to persuade the North to return to six-nation negotiations on its nuclear weapons program. But the two sides agreed to hold a follow-up meeting in Seoul in a month.

South Korea also agreed to provide the North with 200,000 tons of fertilizer in time for the spring planting season – an offer endorsed by the State Department.

The first batch left for the North Korean border town of Kaesong early today, the Unification Ministry said, with shipment of all 200,000 tons of fertilizer expected to be completed by mid-June.