N. Korea demands food, cement in response to S. Korea's flood aid offer

SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea asked South Korea to provide food, cement and heavy construction equipment on Thursday, a day after Seoul offered 5 billion won (US$4.7 million) in emergency relief aid to the flood-stricken northern neighbor, an official said.
But South Korea immediately turned down the North's request, replying to the North that it would only send medical supplies and other necessities, including blankets and packs of instant noodles, said the Red Cross official.
"We are not considering sending rice, flour and cement," to North Korea, he told reporters.
The North's request was contained in a message from the country's Red Cross to its South Korean counterpart which was delivered through the border village of Panmunjom, said the official.
According to North Korean media reports, a recent powerful typhoon and heavy downpours have left dozens of people dead, injured or missing while destroying 2,900 homes and submerging or washing away nearly 60,000 hectares of farmland.
North Korea has been hit hard by floods in recent years, mainly because of its lack of investment in disaster control and severe deforestation.