Saturday, February 10, 2007

Korean-American aid group to send more medical aid to North Korea

A Korean-American aid group based in the United States said it was sending its 17th shipment of medical relief goods, worth US$4.8 million, to North Korea.

The Institute for Strategy and Reconciliation (ISR), a think tank also active in international assistance, said the shipment this month will go to helping more than 20,000 North Korean children and the handicapped by providing antibiotics, wheelchairs and crutches. The aid will also include stethoscopes and various surgical and medical equipment, it said.

The group will also provide individually tailored artificial limbs while the staff is in the North, the first American relief group to do so.ISR began its North Korea program in 1998 with the approval of the U.S. Treasury. As of this month, the group has provided medical assistance valued at approximately $27.4 million.

The group is also recruiting volunteers through the end of this month to help post-surgery rehabilitation programs for children and the handicapped in North Korea.

[Yonhap News]

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