Open borders for South Korean rice
Seoul (AsiaNews) A convoy of 40 lorries from South Korea carrying rice crossed the border into North Korea at the Doraksan police station on July 20. At the same time, 40 more entered the demilitarised zone (DMZ) further to the northeast with an identical cargo. The two convoys traveled respectively to the North Korean cities of Kaesong and Kosong both at about one hour drive from the border. The lorries made it back home within the day after delivering their food aid. This represents the first time in 60 years that North Korea has opened its land border to the South.
During high level talks in June South Korea had agree to donate 400,000 tonnes of rice this year. One quarter or 100,000 tonnes of rice is South Korean-grown and was delivered overland in four shipments. The remaining 300,000 will be purchased abroad and reach the North by sea. In 2001 Seoul had donated 300,000 tonnes of rice to North Korea; 400,000 per annum in the two subsequent years.
The open border is a sign of the political thaw between the two Koreas. It was made possible by the historic summit between then South Korean president Kim Dae Jung and North Korea's strongman Kim Jong-il. At that time the two governments had agreed to reopen a railway line and road link in the DMZ interrupted by the Korean War (1950-53). However, the railway and road corridors were littered with hundreds of thousands of land mines laid by both sides that had to be removed before traffic could resume.
For the last few months a growing number of South Korean tourists have been allowed to travel overland to visit the resort area of Mount Kumgang in North Korea. ).
The overland corridors played a crucial role in enabling humanitarian aid from the South to reach the city of Ryongchon, site of a major railway disaster last April.
However tiny the opening in the border may be it does represent a ray of hope for solving the North Korean problem and bringing some degree of material well-being to its people. Since 1955 North Korea has been heavily dependent on foreign aid to feed its 22 million people.
Cognisant of the need for transparency North Korean authorities have allowed officials from the South to visit the various points of food distribution.
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