Government Approves Export of 100 Million KRW Worth of Hand Sanitizers for North Korea Support by Private Organizations

First Approval of a Civil Organization This Year

At the entrance of Pyeongcheon District Hospital in Pyongyang, North Korea, a nurse is measuring the temperature of visitors on the 1st to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The government has approved the export of quarantine supplies worth approximately 100 million won by a private organization planning to support North Korea.

On the 2nd, a Ministry of Unification official told reporters, "Regarding COVID-19, export of supplies requested by one organization that met the requirements for support to North Korea was approved as of the 31st of last month."

He added, "The approved supplies consist of hand sanitizers worth about 100 million won, and masks are not included."

The official stated, "The funds for procuring the quarantine supplies were raised independently by the applying organization," and added, "We cannot disclose the name of the organization, the export route of the supplies, or the delivery schedule." He explained, "This is because the organization carrying out the support project wishes to keep these details confidential to ensure smooth progress of the project."

This is reportedly the first time this year that export approval has been granted for supplies from a domestic private organization intended for support to North Korea.

The Ministry of Unification official said, "Although export approval has not yet been granted, there are several organizations that have applied for support to North Korea," and added, "They are currently preparing the necessary requirements for North Korea support."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.