Tamiflu Supply to North

It is good to see that humanitarian aid to North Korea will be resumed after nearly two years of suspension. South Korea has decided to provide 500,000 doses of Tamiflu and other anti-viral drugs to the North to help fight the spread of swine flu. The decision came Thursday as Pyongyang accepted Seoul's offer of the medicines.
The provision of the drugs will mark the first humanitarian aid from the Seoul government to the North since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008. Pyongyang has yet to accept 10,000 tons of corn aid offered by the South in October, apparently because of its dissatisfaction with the relatively small amount of assistance and the strings attached to it.
The North's decision on the medicine aid reflects its need for urgent action against the epidemic, also known as influenza A (H1N1). The decision was made immediately after the South conveyed its intention to help to the North at the instruction of President Lee. During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, he told his ministers to provide ``unconditional" aid to help North Korea contain the highly contagious virus.
On Wednesday, the North made its first report of nine cases of the influenza outbreak in its capital Pyongyang and northwestern Sinuiju bordering China. However, there was no report of deaths from the flu attacks. However, a Seoul-based civic group quoted unconfirmed reports that the influenza virus has killed about 50 people in the North since early last month.
Unification Ministry officials are contacting North Koreans to decide details about how and when to transport the drug supply to the North. We hope the South will swiftly deliver the anti-viral drugs to the North so that they will become available to patients there. The sooner, the better as early action is pivotal in blocking a further spread of the epidemic. If necessary, the South should send medical equipment and medical staff to the impoverished North to better cope with swine flu.
We also expect that the medicine provision will serve as a catalyst to increase the South's humanitarian aid to the isolated country. The North is suffering from a food shortage. Thus, the Seoul government needs to persuade Pyongyang to accept its food assistance in order to feed millions of North Koreans fighting hunger. It goes without saying that humanitarian assistance should be offered without any preconditions. But, such aid may contribute to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and mending ties between the two rivals.