S Korea to increase humanitarian aid to DPRK

SEOUL, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The South Korean government plans to increase its spending on humanitarian and economic aid to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), following its delivery of A/H1N1 medications to Pyongyang last week, local media Yonhap reported Monday.

According to government sources, South Korea will contribute a few billion won (several million U.S. dollars) from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund to a couple of aid projects being led by international organizations including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The relief fund will be allocated to the infants and the underprivileged in DPRK, enhancing their healthcare system and overall nutritional aid, according to Yonhap.

The government source said the Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Committee is planning to convene as early as this week to finalize the deal.

Since the mid-nineties, the South Korean government has made contributions to a number of humanitarian aid projects for the needy in the DPRK through international bodies such as the UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).

After taking office last year, South Korean president Lee Myung-bak took a more aggressive policy towards the DPRK, requiring Pyongyang's complete denuclearization before any kind of economic aid.

However, Lee shifted his stance last week by sending about 500,000 doses of anti-viral drugs to help the North deal with a flurry of recent A/H1N1 flu attacks.

The Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund was established in 1991 by the South Korean government to provide economic aid to the DPRK.