South Korean society is divided on whether the Seoul government should send much needed humanitarian aid to North Korea, where record-breaking floods have left around 68,900 residents homeless.

Conservatives want to “tighten the sanctions,” but progressives have urged Seoul to put aside long-held animosity against Pyongyang and save North Korean lives before it is too late.

“Chosun Ilbo on September 16 has counted over 1000 trucks that have traveled between Hunchun, China to Rajin, North Korea,” conservative Chosun Ilbo wrote an editorial on Monday, criticizing Beijing’s lack of participation in international sanctions against North Korea.

Articles featuring bearing