S. Korean leader urges int'l support for people of N. Korea

SEOUL, July 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for international assistance for the people of impoverished North Korea, insisting they must not be made to suffer because of military provocations by the North Korean regime, Moon's presidential office said Saturday.

The call came in the fourth session of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

"South Korea is paying attention to the serious problem of malnutrition of babies and children in North Korea," the South Korean leader said, according to a script of his remarks released by his office here.

Moon's call for increased support for the North Korean people came after his earlier calls for new and stronger international sanctions against North Korea to punish its communist regime for its latest missile provocation.

Pyongyang on Tuesday test-launched what it claimed to be its first intercontinental ballistic missile.

"Humanitarian assistance in the health and medical sectors must not be linked to political conditions," Moon told the leaders of the world's largest and fastest developing economies.

Moon also urged increased support for other impoverished nations, saying his country sought to provide up to US$100 million in assistance to 13 developing and less developed countries by 2020.

The South Korean president renewed his country's pledge to honor the Paris Agreement on climate change.

He also called for support for female workers around the world, stressing the need to create better working conditions for women.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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