US sending emergency aid to North Korea

WASHINGTON - The U.S. has sent a cargo plane of emergency supplies to North Korea as part of a modest but symbolically significant contribution to the impoverished country's flood relief effort.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland says the plane is carrying blankets, soap and hygiene kits. It will arrive in Pyongyang this weekend.

The U.S. has said it will provide North Korea $900,000 in emergency aid through U.S. charities.

Heavy rainfall pounded the Korean peninsula in July. North Korean media said last month that flooding killed about 30 people and left thousands homeless.

Some nations have been leery of helping Pyongyang for fear that aid could be diverted to North Korea's political elite or the military.

[LYPL]

The concept of globalization;To achieve the Chinese civilization

Promote human progress!

[samXXkiley]

coucou,
it is a good initiative on the part of United States, North Korea needs help
"au revoir"

[NorthrupP61]

I understand trying to help people suffering from the long-time African drought but THIS is just silly.

[tsigili]

The US just loves to give away money we don't have. Obama's administration is nothing but idiocy.

[taxedmore]

Kim must be laughing all the way to the bank. There is no limit to the stupidity of the US government.

[Dgunner]

900,000 plus the cost of jet fuel and the of course the cargo jet itself. Risking others lives to help a tyrant."To a tyrant give no quarter or argument for they both will surely be lost.

[venusvegasvada]

They just got through slaughtering all the Korean soldiers.

Who is the IDIOT in the Govt. that approved this?

We should be giving them NOTHING. Let Kim Jung Il eat Hotel Doom.

[euge005]

I would generally agree, but he will still live the good life as yet another million or two of his people starve. Out side of a new government they need birth control and drugs for mental health.

[WeHappyFew]

$900,000? From charities? This is a story?

Get a life or at least an education people. The poor agricultural workers are suffering a systematic starvation through enforced famine.

They want out. They try to leave.They are killed.Doesn't stop them trying and neither will this aid. This measly $900,000 will be keeping some of them alive, that's it. It won't be filling the gaps and propping up the regime. North Koreans want Kim Jong-il gone. He is the worst tyrant living today like Stalin. He'll starve whole provinces to death. He doesn't care. It's notoriously difficult to negotiate with that.

[WeHappyFew]

Bad syntax. Stalin is obviously not alive today.

[euge005]

The people are so desperate they flee.... into occupied China which their own set of corrupt dictators. they are butchers that kill 200-600 a day in legalized slaughter and maintain their their occupation of other countries like Tibet. Wwe need to stop doing any business with nations that do not have a representative democracy, period. That would mean energy independence and likely put the GOP out of business.

[b4uigo]

Winter's coming and now more of the North's military will stay nice and cozy thanks to another wrongheaded "gift" from the US. Well done Obama!

[euge005]

Unless there is some safe guard to actually get the aid to the needy, I would tend to agree with you. I could use that 900,000$ myself.

[jpublicnw]

oops, I mean 900,000