South Korea Offering Large-scale Aid Package for North's Nukes

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaking at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10. Photo: AFP
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaking at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10. Photo: AFP
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South Korea Offering Large-scale Aid Package for North's Nukes

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaking at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10. Photo: AFP
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaking at the National Assembly in Seoul on March 10. Photo: AFP

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said Monday he will offer a wide-ranging aid package to the North in return for denuclearization, a deal long seen as a non-starter for Pyongyang.

The proposal comes days after the North threatened to "wipe out" Seoul authorities over a recent Covid-19 outbreak and less than a month after leader Kim Jong Un said his country was "ready to mobilize" its nuclear capability in any war with the United States and the South, AFP reported.

But calling denuclearization "essential" for lasting peace on the peninsula, Yoon on Monday detailed a large-scale aid plan that would include food and energy as well as help in modernizing infrastructure such as ports, airports and hospitals.

"The audacious initiative that I envision will significantly improve North Korea's economy and its people's livelihoods in stages if the North ceases the development of its nuclear program and embarks on a genuine and substantive process for denuclearization," Yoon said in a speech marking the anniversary of liberation from Japan's colonial rule in 1945.

Analysts say the chances of Pyongyang accepting such an offer -- first floated during Yoon's inaugural speech -- are vanishingly slim, as the North, which invests a vast chunk of its GDP into weapons programs, has long made it clear it will not make that trade.

North Korea has conducted a record-breaking blitz of weapons tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.

Washington and South Korean officials have repeatedly warned that the North is preparing to carry out what would be its seventh nuclear test.



Monsoon Floods Sweep Away 18 People and Main Bridge Linking Nepal to China

Monsoon Floods Sweep Away 18 People and Main Bridge Linking Nepal to China
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Monsoon Floods Sweep Away 18 People and Main Bridge Linking Nepal to China

Monsoon Floods Sweep Away 18 People and Main Bridge Linking Nepal to China

A mountain river flooded by monsoon rains swept away the main bridge connecting Nepal with China on Tuesday, leaving 18 people missing, Nepali authorities said.

Rescue efforts were underway and an army helicopter was able to lift people stranded by the flooding. Police said 95 rescuers were already at the area and more are expected to join in rescue efforts, The Associated Press reported.

The flooding on the Bhotekoshi River destroyed the Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadi, which is 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Kathmandu.

Several houses and trucks that were parked at the border for customs inspections also were swept away. Hundreds of electric vehicles imported from China had been parked at the border point.

The 18 missing are 12 Nepali citizens and six Chinese nationals, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The Chinese along with eight Nepalis were workers at a Chinese-assisted construction project on the Nepali side of the border, according to the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, quoted by state media.

The destruction of the bridge has halted all trade from China to Nepal through this route. The longer alternative is for goods to be shipped from China to India and then brought overland to Nepal.

Monsoon rains that begin in June and end in September often cause severe flooding in Nepal, disrupting infrastructure and endangering lives.