The government has approved a request by a private aid agency in South Korea to provide tuberculosis medicine and related supplies to North Korea.
 
A Unification Ministry official said on Tuesday that the ministry on Monday gave a nod to the Eugene Bell Foundation’s request to send the North nearly two billion won worth of medicine and construction materials to build a hospital.
 
The official said that the approval was given in line with the government’s policy to be flexible with inter-Korean exchanges in the private sector without undermining international sanctions on Pyongyang.
  
The official added that the decision is based on the conclusion that tuberculosis requires continued medical attention and it is possible to monitor the distribution of the provided aid supplies, which also have low risks of diversion.
 
This marks the first approval of such a request since the Moon Jae-in government launched in mid-May.
 
It’s the fourth time the foundation will provide aid supplies to the reclusive country, following previous deliveries in March and September of last year and January this year.