by Matteo Choi Seok Kyoon

As winter approaches, floods and frosty relations between Seoul and Pyongyang are putting the lives of millions of North Koreans at risk because of local food shortages. At the Fifth Forum for Intra-Korean Reconciliation, the archbishop of Seoul challenges lay Catholics to be true Christians and help their northern brothers and sisters, and this despite the worsening relations between the two governments.

Seoul (AsiaNews) – Millions of North Koreans, especially women, children and the elderly, could be without food this winter. Recent floods, the regime’s harsh policies and the partial halt to South Korea’s aid to the North have reduced food supplies by more than 1.4 million metric tonnes.

In the recent past, South Korea has taken a hard-line against the North, which has continued its nuclear development programme despite its population’s needs. Conservative politicians in the South have argued that the policy was necessary because North Korea was diverting food aid away from the hungry to benefit its armed forces.

Representatives of the Catholic Apostolate Council of Korea met at the Fifth Forum for Intra-Korean Reconciliation on 4 November in Seoul to discuss ways to end the North-South row to help their fellow Koreans in the North.

In his address, Kwon Tae-jin, deputy director of the Rural Economic Institute, said that checks and control should be imposed on North Korea to make sure that aid actually gets to the people who need it most. “In addition to providing food aid, we can help local researchers develop better farming methods to boost local production,” he said. “We can also plant trees to lessen the impact of flooding.”

Yang Mun-su, from the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, has instead defended the previous aid policy. With shipments cut in 2008, the South found itself with a 1.4 million tonne surplus, whose effect was to reduce prices. This forced the government to support rice producers and pay for the storage of the surplus. Northerners, badly hit by famine and the Communist regime’s monetary devaluation, gained a lot from having 400,000 tonnes sent to them by the previous South Korean government.

Mgr Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seoul, was present at the event. He urged Catholics to remain kind-hearted, especially at a time of frost between the two governments.

“If we ignore our brothers and sisters in the North, we must ask ourselves whether we are true Christians or not,” he said.

For the prelate, through dialogue and reconciliation help can reach fellow Koreans in the North.

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