S. Korea's aid to N. Korea plunges 60 percent this year

SEOUL, June 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's government and private assistance for North Korea has plummeted 60 percent this year amid the rising cross-border tension stemming from the North's nuclear and missile threats, officials said Wednesday.

State and private support to North Korea during the January-May period stood at
US$15.18 million, down 60 percent on-year from $26.33 million, according to the
Unification Ministry.
The steep downturn comes in the wake of North Korea's second nuclear test in May
and multiple rocket launches. The United Nations Security Council has condemned
the test and passed a resolution to impose financial and diplomatic sanctions on
Pyongyang.
Last month's provision of aid from the South to the North tumbled 85.1 percent
on-year, from $8.36 million down to $1.24 million, according to the ministry.
The decline also reflects a slump in inter-Korean ties that have soured since
President Lee Myung-bak took office in February last year with a pledge to link
the denuclearization of North Korea to the North-bound aid shipments.
North Korea has been detaining a South Korean employee at Hyundai Asan Corp.,
identified only by his family name of Yu, since March 30, accusing him of
"slandering" the North's political system. The fate of the worker is still
unclear.