A South Korean aid group said yesterday it would send 300 tonnes of flour and other supplies to needy North Koreans this week amid reports that dire food shortages are worsening.
A ship carrying 60 containers of food, daily supplies and educational needs such as pencils will leave the western port of Incheon on Saturday, the Join Together Society said.
“The shipment will benefit some 12,000 marginalized people at 50 orphanages and other institutions across the country,” society spokesman Seo Dong-woo said.
It includes 300 tonnes of wheat flour, 360,000 packs of soy milk and other foodstuffs, enough to feed 12,000 people for three months, he said, declining to disclose the cost.
South Korean officials and aid groups say the already severe food shortages are expected to worsen this year after a poor grain harvest last year.
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