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WFP Workers stockpile rice at a World Food Programme (WFP) storage facility in Pyongyang in 2016. (provided by the WFP)

Ships carrying South Korean rice for humanitarian aid purposes will set sail for North Korea this month. Fifty thousand tons of rice is to be provided to the North in 10 deliveries through the “spring austerity” period in September. It is the South Korean government’s first conveyance of rice through the World Food Programme (WFP) in 12 years.

“We’re currently looking for vessels [to transport the rice], so I can’t say for certain, but we’re shooting for delivery within July,” a Ministry of Unification official said while meeting with reporters on July 2.

“The rice is to be loaded [onto vessels prepared by WFP] at South Korean ports, at which point the WFP takes over responsibility for transport to North Korea,” the official explained, adding that WFP was “locating vessels and preparing contracts.”

The 50,000 tons of rice are to be provided in 1.25 million 40kg bags, with 10 deliveries of 5,000 to 6,000 tons at a time. With a short shelf life of three to six months for the polished rice to be provided as aid, the South Korean government determined that its resistance to stockpiling means it is unlikely to be diverted to other uses. The polishing of rice is to begin as soon as the vessel is prepared.

Once the 50,000 tons of rice have been loaded into its vessels at South Korean ports including Ulsan, Mokpo, and Gunsan, the WFP plans to use North Korean ports to deliver it to vulnerable segments of the local population. The delivery of rice as humanitarian aid is not itself in violation of US or UN Security Council sanctions against the North, but a vessel used to transport it may be subject to US sanctions.

“The WFP is in discussions [on the sanctions issue], and the South Korean government is cooperating,” said a Ministry of Unification senior official.

The ministry official also said, “There are around 50 people working at the WFP’s Pyongyang office, and they have announced plans to double that and increase the number of regional offices.”

“We believe the monitoring plan [to confirm that the food is properly distributed to beneficiaries] is sound and highly capable,” the official added.

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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