Religious figures call for early food aid to N. Korea

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- A group of South Korean religious figures pressed the government again on Tuesday to send humanitarian aid to North Korea to alleviate serious food shortages facing the country.

The multi-religious group, led by Buddhist Rev. Bomnyun, visited Unification
Minister Kim Ha-joong to deliver a letter containing signatures from over 1
million citizens calling for the government's early action.
"The government should provide humanitarian aid to North Korea as early as
possible," said Bomnyun, who leads the Seoul-based relief group Good Friends. He
was speaking at a news conference prior to his meeting with Kim.
"It should continue dialogue with North Korea to resolve various other pending
issues such as reunion of separated families and return of prisoners of war
(POWs)," he said.
Various Buddhist, Protestant and Catholic religious leaders have raised 2.4
billion won (US$1.7 million) in a three month fundraising campaign for hungry
North Koreans.
Aid groups have said the North faces its worst food shortage since the late
1990s, when up to 3 million people are believed to have starved to death, in part
due to major flooding in 2007.
Pyongyang has so far relied on international food aid to help feed its population
of 23 million.
The U.N. World Food Program recently appealed to international donors to provide
an additional $60 million in emergency aid to North Korea, saying the North could
slip back into famine without additional aid worth about $500 million in the next
15 months.
North Korea's grain crop last year reportedly amounted to 4 million tons, 1
million tons short of what the country needs to feed its population.
The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization told U.S.-based Radio Free Asia in
August that the North will harvest a half million tons less than last year due to
shortages of chemical fertilizer.