U.S. ON HUMANITARIAN AID TO N. KOREA

[Anchor Lead]

The U.S. State Department said that it will do its best to provide humanitarian aid to North Korean people currently experiencing a severe food shortage. However, the U.S. made it clear that the Pyongyang regime, not the American or United Nations’ sanctions, is to blame for North Korean people’s starvation and suffering.

[Pkg]

The United Nation’s human rights report on North Korea said that North Korean people are starving and the nation is experiencing a humanitarian crisis. The U.S. State Department announced that it continues to work with the international community to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea.

[Soundbite] Ned Price(U.S. Dept. of State Spokesman)

However, the State Department pointed out that the primary responsibility for North Korea’s humanitarian crisis lies with its own regime.

[Soundbite] Ned Price(U.S. Dept. of State Spokesman)

As to the report by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea which stated that sanctions against North Korea should be reviewed in order to overcome this humanitarian crisis, Washington made it clear that the sanctions mentioned in the report referred to those issued by the U.N., and not by the United States. The spokesman stressed that the sanctions directly did not cause the sufferings of the North Korean people.

[Soundbite] Ned Price(U.S. Dept. of State Spokesman)

Spokesman Price repeated, nonetheless, that the United States is ready to meet with North Korea anywhere anytime without any conditions.