Seoul (AsiaNews) - Protestant Christians in South Korea have sent food to the North to a value of 100 thousand dollars. But the aid was not authorized by the government in Seoul - which has cut all ties with Pyongyang after the two military attacks in March and April - and has reacted "criticising" the unilateral gesture and threatening an investigation. The Korean National Council of Churches responded saying it is "not bound by politics" and spoke of the possibility of continuing with the aid shipments.
A source for AsiaNews describes the gesture as "understandable and human, but reckless. The official sending of food and medical aid to North Korea was stopped for a reason, military aggression is unacceptable. We all suffer for our brothers in the north, bent by a despotic and violent regime, but we also know that the food sent by unofficial roads often end up in the hands of the military, not the people. "
The Council of Churches has confirmed the dispatch of 172 tons of food, especially flour through "unofficial" channels : North Korean exiles living in China. The Seoul government, through the Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Yong-joo, condemned the act: "We will take appropriate measures and we are monitoring the situation."
Kim Chang-hyun, a spokesman for the Council, said: "We do not feel bound by politics. We are Christians and we want to make a purely humanitarian gesture. The South Korean government's position makes no sense, and will only succeed in worsening relations between the two Koreas. We will continue on our way. "
The source for AsiaNews concludes: "They were reckless, maybe a bit too much. The Seoul government has allowed some NGOs in this period to send some goods delivered into the hands of the people, we are talking about a load of food and medicine worth 750 thousand dollars. But these positions are likely to worsen the position of everyone involved, and the North Koreans will end up paying for it. "
