Govt to give $2 million in food aid to N Korea

The Indonesian government plans to give US$2 million of aid to the North Korean government to help it with its ongoing food crisis.

According to Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the government had long planned to aid the North Korean government, but had been held back due to technical difficulties related to the funds’ distribution.

"We want to make sure that this humanitarian aid goes to the right people in North Korea," Marty said on Wednesday as quoted by tempo.co.

The government, Marty said, was currently working with the World Food Program and UNICEF to figure out the methods and forms of aid delivery to the Communist country.

North Korea has been suffering from a food crisis since 1990, with the United Nations reporting that at least three million North Koreans were in need of food.

In addition, malnutrition among children in that country has reportedly been consistently rising.

On May 15, North Korea’s chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim Yong-nam, met with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to discuss trade and investment during a bilateral meeting between the two countries. (png)