No South Korean humanitarian aid arrived in North Korea in 2024, the first time this has happened since Seoul first started providing assistance 29 years ago.

The unification ministry announced on Wednesday that neither the ROK government nor private organizations were able to deliver assistance, attributing this to Pyongyang’s refusal to accept help as it takes a harder line toward Seoul.

“Last year, when North Korea experienced flood damage, we proposed emergency aid through the Korean Red Cross. However, North Korea has not responded to our government’s offer, nor to humanitarian aid proposals from international organizations,” the ministry said in