U.S. donates PL-480 food aid to North Korea

U.S. donates PL-480 food aid to North Korea    The U.S. government will donate 50,000 metric tons of food aid to North Korea through the United Nations World Food Program’s emergency feeding operation in 2004.
   “The United States is providing food aid to help relieve the suffering of the North Korean people despite our concerns about the North Korean government’s policies,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher in a statement Friday.
   The State Department pointed out its ongoing concern with North Korea’s failure to permit access for humanitarian aid workers to distressed areas of the country. “We plan to continue to discuss with North Korean government officials the importance of allowing humanitarian access consistent with international standards,” Boucher said.
   Funding for the food aid will come from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s PL-480 program. The mix of commodities for the donation will be determined during consultations with the World Food Program.