Christian groups to deliver food to North Korea

PYONGYANG, North Korea — A partnership that includes several Christian organizations has reached an agreement with North Korea to deliver strictly monitored food aid to counter the communist country’s severe crop shortage. The five nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) forming the partnership — World Vision, Mercy Corps, Samaritan’s Purse, Global Resource Services and Christian Friends of Korea — have a decade or more of experience working in North Korea. The food assistance comes after an assessment of areas devastated by flooding last August. Ken Isaacs, vice president of projects and government relations at Samaritan’s Purse, said the partnership has been allowed “unprecedented access.”

Sixteen representatives from the five NGOs will be living in North Korea to monitor food distribution. The aid is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and is part of a larger agreement expected to reach more than 5 million people.