Report: North Korea to deliver Jeju tangerines to students, workers

SEOUL, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered state officials to deliver tangerines, a gift from South Korea, to students and workers, North Korea's state media said Friday.

The Korea Central News Agency reported that South Korea has sent tangerines, harvested from the southernmost island of Jeju, to North Korea in return for wild pine mushrooms. North Korea sent the mushrooms, considered a rare seasonal delicacy, as a gift to the South during the inter-Korean summit in September in Pyongyang.

The KNCA report comes four days after South Korea's announcement on shipping the tangerines on Air Force cargo planes to the North over Sunday and Monday.

"The great leader expressed appreciation for the warm-hearted gift by President Moon Jae-in and ordered the tangerines to be delivered to students and workers in Pyongyang," it said.

The South Korean presidential office sent 20,000 boxes of tangerines earlier this week in return for mushrooms received from the North in September.

Each box contained 10 kilograms (40 pounds) of tangerines, worth about $18 for a wholesale price. The 200 tons of tangerines are estimated to cost at least $360,000.

South Korea distributed North Korean mushrooms to its citizens separated from their family members in the North.