A South Korean official says North Korea must resume talks with Seoul before any new agricultural aid is forthcoming.
Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo made the remarks to reporters during a visit to New York City Tuesday. Mr. Rhee is in the United States for talks with U.S. officials.
Pyongyang has requested 500,000 tons of fertilizer from Seoul, the largest request it has ever made. North Korea has been dealing with chronic food shortages, and relies heavily on foreign aid to feed its people.
Talks between the two Koreas were broken off last year after South Korea airlifted more than 450 North Korean refugees to Seoul from Vietnam.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.
