(LEAD) No response from N. Korea on S. Korea’s offer for flood relief: unification ministry

North Korea has not yet responded to South Korea's proposal to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea for the damage caused by recent downpours in its northern border areas, Seoul's unification ministry said Friday. On Thursday, the unification ministry expressed its willingness to urgently support North Korean flood victims with necessary supplies from a humanitarian and fraternal perspective through the Korean Red Cross. The North is believed to have sustained significant casualties. "We have attempted to communicate through the inter-Korean liaison office channel, but so far, there has been no response from the North," said Kim In-ae, the deputy spokesperson for the ministry, during a press briefing. She expressed hope that the North would swiftly respond, adding that daily contact times are at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Vice Unification Minister Kim Soo-kyung speaks during her inauguration ceremony in Seoul in this file photo taken July 17, 2024. (Yonhap) North Korea's border city of Sinuiju and Uiju County in the northwestern province of North Pyongan were recently pummeled by heavy rains, leaving more than 4,100 houses and nearly 3,000 hectares of farmland submerged, according to the North's state media. The North did not disclose details about casualties, but the unification ministry said North Korea might have sustained "considerable" casualties. There is a news report suggesting that the number of those who died or went missing probably exceeds around 1,000. The government chose to use the press to convey its intent to provide aid, as North Korea has remained unresponsive to the inter-Korean liaison communication channel since April last year. During an interview with Yonhap News TV, Vice Unification Minister Kim Soo-kyung expressed hope that humanitarian aid to North Korea could help thaw the tension on the Korean Peninsula. "We ask the North Korean authorities to respond to our sincere proposal amid the humanitarian (crisis) in North Korea," Kim said. "The Yoon Suk Yeol government has been consistentl y maintaining its stance to seek humanitarian aid for North Korea regardless of the political situation." Source: Yonhap News Agency