From the Navy Times: “The United States has provided a small yet symbolic shipment of emergency relief items to flood-hit North Korea, in the latest sign of thawing ties between the wartime foes. Heavy rain and tropical storms have pounded North Korea in the past few months, leaving dozens of people dead or missing and displacing thousands of others. Washington has not responded with food aid, but pledged to provide emergency help for the flooding. A cargo plane loaded with $900,000 worth of food, medical aid, soap, blankets and cooking kits from the United States touched down at Pyongyang’s Sunan airport late Saturday, according to footage from the Associated Press Television News from the North Korean capital…” Although I echo the concerns of many others that “aid to the North is routinely diverted to its powerful military,” it seems like a positive gesture, and one that shows that the U.S. sees supporting the North Korean people as a priority especially in a time of need. Hopefully, it will go a long way.
