PYONGYANG, North Korea, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- North Korea asked South Korea, during inter-Korean Cabinet talks, to provide it with more humanitarian aid as part of a recent nuclear agreement.
Yet since North Korea's request Wednesday was linked to the six-party nuclear agreement both nation's signed Feb. 13, the Korea Times said that South Korean officials are reluctant to offer further aid until its neighbor begins the disarmament process.
While South Korea is expected to offer North Korea nearly 500,000 tons of rice and 350,000 tons of fertilizer in aid, sources said that North Korean officials want double that amount of rice and an additional 100,000 tons of fertilizer.
South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said that all efforts are being made during the four-day talks to facilitate improved relations between the Koreas, but warned that no actual progress would be known until later in the week.
"We're doing the best we can. It remains to be seen what kind of results we can produce until the two Koreas release a joint press release on Friday," he said.
