SEOUL: South Korea expressed regret Monday at North Korea's silence over requests to start repayments for past food aid worth $720 million.
The South's unification ministry, in charge of cross-border affairs, said the North had not responded to Seoul's earlier request to pay up.
"This constitutes a violation of a pact between South and North Korea. Our government expresses deep regret," spokesman Kim Hyung-Suk told reporters.
Under the previous left-leaning government, the South provided the North with some 2.6 million tonnes of food worth $720 million in six instalments between 2000 and 2007.
The food aid was provided in the form of a cheap loan, with repayments to be made over 20 years.
Seoul sent a notice through its Export-Import Bank in May giving advance notification that the first payment, including interest, of $5.83 million was due on June 7.
It sent a new notice on Monday after its impoverished neighbour failed to respond.
Comments
Comments are closed.