우재연
| 2026-09-20 11:04:45
SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry has drawn up a list of more than 1,400 medical items, including automated external defibrillators, to send to North Korea as part of a humanitarian medical support program, a document showed Sunday.
The ministry plans to send 1,431 medical items covering 166 categories to a hospital in Pyongyang, necessary for diagnosis, surgery and treatment, according to the document submitted to Rep. Kim Dae-sik of the People Power Party by the ministry.
The items include diagnostic equipment, such as X-ray machines, stethoscopes and blood pressure monitors, along with operating tables and other surgical and treatment equipment.
The ministry said the selection was made in consultation with the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare and medical experts, adding that the plan still hinges on discussions with the North Koran side and could change. Its estimated cost is US$6.75 million.
The ministry secured a sanctions exemption in May from the U.N. Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee to provide the equipment.
As inter-Korean exchanges and dialogue channels are virtually non-existent amid souring ties, Pyongyang's willingness to accept aid remains unclear.
Some in the National Assembly voiced concern over the plan, saying medical equipment could be diverted toward biochemical weapons production or repurposed to inspect flaws in weapons systems.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has pushed back on the concern during a recent parliamentary session, saying humanitarian medical aid should not be tied to North Korea's military policy and that the North's medical conditions are dire enough to warrant urgent support.
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