SEOUL, Republic of Korea - A US aid shipment arrived on Saturday in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with around 90 tons of emergency supplies for the flood-hit nation, the organization conducting the operation said.

"The plane has landed, and the relief supplies are in the DPRK," said Todd Shearer, a spokesman for US-based Christian relief group Samaritan's Purse.

The DPRK has seen international aid supplies reduce in recent years as tensions on the Korean Peninsula have racked up.

The aid delivered on Saturday is being funded by the US government and Washington had said it was to arrive at the weekend in Pyongyang.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Friday that the United States remains deeply concerned about the well-being of the people in the DPRK, and this humanitarian assistance is not linked to any political or security issues.

Washington granted $900,000 in funding for the supplies, while Samaritan's Purse said it furnished $1.2 million for the airlift.

Samaritan's Purse said the aid includes blankets, plastic sheeting for shelters, hygiene kits, water filtration systems and medical supplies.

DPRK state media said on Aug 5 that floods in the country triggered by torrential rain had killed 30 people and destroyed almost 7,000 houses.

More than 15,000 people were left homeless by the floods, which also inundated 48,000 hectares of farmland, "seriously affecting this year's grain output," the Korean Central News Agency said.

It added 350 factories and public buildings also collapsed.

Religious delegation

A religious delegation from the Republic of Korea (ROK) arrived in the DPRK on Saturday to mark an anniversary celebrated by Buddhists on both sides of the heavily fortified border.

Due to political tensions on the Korean Peninsula, ROK citizens are prohibited from traveling to the DPRK without government permission. The delegation received approval in Seoul to make the rare trip to attend a ceremony at the ancient Pohyon Temple in the mountains northwest of Pyongyang.

They landed on Saturday in Pyongyang for a five-day visit, according to Associated Press. They held a banner celebrating their visit at the airport. The Venerable Jaseung, who is leading the delegation, shook hands with Sim Sang-jin, an official at the DPRK's Buddhist association.

People in the ROK will join Buddhists from the DPRK in a service marking the 1,000th anniversary of the engraving of the Tripitaka Koreana. The 80,000 woodblocks designed to print Buddhist scripture are considered sacred by Buddhists across the Korean Peninsula and are revered by both countries as a relic of their shared heritage.

AFP-AP

(China Daily 09/05/2011 page11)