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South Korea plans to send more than 1,400 medical items worth an estimated $6.75 million to a hospital in Pyongyang as humanitarian assistance, Yonhap News Agency reported Sunday, citing a government document.
The Unification Ministry has drawn up a list of 1,431 items across 166 categories for diagnosis, surgery and treatment, including automated external defibrillators, X-ray machines, stethoscopes, blood pressure monitors, operating tables and other medical equipment.
The ministry said the list was prepared in consultation with the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare and medical experts.
The plan still depends on discussions with North Korea and could change, according to the ministry.
Pyongyang’s willingness to accept the aid remains unclear because inter-Korean exchanges and dialogue channels are virtually nonexistent amid strained relations.
Seoul secured an exemption in May from the U.N. Security Council committee overseeing sanctions on North Korea to provide the medical equipment.
Some South Korean lawmakers have expressed concern that the equipment could be diverted for biochemical weapons production or used to identify defects in weapons systems.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young rejected those concerns during a recent parliamentary session, arguing that humanitarian medical assistance should not be linked to North Korea’s military policy.
He said medical conditions in North Korea were serious enough to require urgent support.
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