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For the first time since President Park Geun-hye took office in February, the government has
given civic groups the green light to head to North Korea, in this case to oversee the
distribution of aid supplies. The two groups are scheduled to begin a four-day
inspection in the North Korean capital on Saturday.
Hwang Sung-hee has the details. Two South Korean civic groups will visit North
Korea on Saturday to monitor the distribution of their aid supplies.
The trip, approved by Seoul's unification ministry on Tuesday, will be the first approved
visit of a civilian group to the North since President Park Geun-hye took office in February.
A total of 18 South Koreans will fly into Pyongyang from China on Wednesday and begin
their inspection with North Korean officials over a four-day period.
The two aid groups will oversee the distribution of around 330-thousand dollars worth of medicine
and other supplies to North Korean children. Meanwhile, the two Koreas will meet for their
seventh round of talks on Wednesday in Gaeseong as they try to reopen their jointly-run factory
zone in the North. Operations at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex
came to a halt after North Korea withdrew all of its workers in April amid an escalation
in inter-Korean tensions. The shutdown has resulted in nearly a billion
dollars in losses for South Korean businesses with operations in Gaeseong.
Seoul wants a guarantee that Pyongyang will never push ahead with such unilateral closures
again before reopening the complex, while North Korea has been pushing for an immediate
resumption of operations. Experts are expecting the two Koreas to make
some progress in Wednesday's talks as it is their first meeting in weeks.
If they fail to reach an agreement this time arund, some say the upcoming joint military
drill between Seoul and Washington next week may break any momentum gained in dialogue.
Hwang Sung-hee, Arirang News.