Jeju Island sent kidney dialysis machines, hallabong seedlings to North Korea; governor's meeting with spy agent undisclosed

Jeju Island has sent goods worth 160 million won (about $104,000) to North Korea — including kidney dialysis machines, hallabong citrus seedlings and pine wilt pesticides. The provincial government has declined to say whether Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun met with a North Korean spy agent in Beijing.

Jeju Island dispatched the items to North Korea's Nampo port last month as part of an inter-Korean cooperation project. The shipment left Incheon port on April 1, passed through Dalian port in China and arrived at Nampo on May 4.

Jeju Island said it applied to the Ministry of Unification for export approval on March 9. The shipment included kidney dialysis machines and consumables, hallabong seedlings, greenhouse facilities and pine wilt pesticides. The Ministry of Unification granted approval, allowing the transfer to proceed.

UN Security Council Resolution 2397 imposes sweeping import and export sanctions on North Korea. Medical devices, however, may be permitted under the humanitarian exemption clause in paragraph 25 of the same resolution.

The North Korean counterpart organization is the Korean Federation for the Care of the Disabled. In February, a Jeju Island delegation met with North Korean officials in Beijing and reached a broad agreement on cooperation. The plan calls for prioritizing citrus, medical welfare and forest pest control, with a phased expansion into pig farming and tourism. No official response has been received from North Korea.

Some media outlets reported that Governor Oh met in Beijing with Ri Ho-nam, a North Korean agent tasked with operations against the South. Jeju Island said it could not confirm the reports.

The project gained momentum after Governor Oh met with Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young last November. That same month, Jeju Island's Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Committee voted to push ahead with the inter-Korean cooperation fund project.

Jeju Island previously sent a total of 66,000 tons of goods to North Korea between 1998 and 2010, including 48,000 tons of tangerines and 18,000 tons of carrots. Jeju tangerines were also sent to the North on a one-off basis in 2018 and 2021.

‘음모론 금지’ 나흘째 올림픽공원 지키는 2030들 “못 믿을 선거 또 없어야” [세상&]

[헤럴드경제=이영기·김아린 기자] 6·3 지방선거에서 발생한 투표용지 부족 사태로 인한 시민들의 반발이 장기화하는 모양새다. 서울 송파구 올림픽공원에서는 중앙선거관

https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/10765852

dbsdn1110@heraldcorp.com