South Korea offered aid worth 5 billion won ($4.7 million) to flood-hit

South Korea offered aid worth 5 billion won ($4.7 million) to flood-hit North Korea today, its first such proposal since Pyongyang’s deadly island attack last November sent relations into deep freeze.

The North, which even in normal times struggles to feed its people, has reported dozens of casualties, thousands homeless and large areas of farmland flooded following a storm and torrential rain this summer.

The South’s offer came amid signs of an easing of high cross-border tensions. Nuclear negotiators from the two sides held rare talks last month on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Bali.

Seoul’s unification ministry said the offer of medicine and daily necessities was made through the South’s Red Cross. If the North accepted it, talks would be held on shipping arrangements across the tense border.

Ministry officials said the new aid package would not include rice and cement.

Floods are common in North Korea, mainly because of its lack of disaster-control infrastructure and severe deforestation of hillsides.

Despite that incident, for which the North denied responsibility, the South in September 2010 promised a 10 billion won flood aid package.

But it suspended shipments after the North killed four South Koreans in a bombardment of a border island last November.

Source AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE