Seoul mulls more aid for flood relief in Laos

Aid workers in Laos unload medicine and supplies from the Korean government on Monday. The provisions will go to victims of floods caused by a breach at a dam that Korean companies are building. [YONHAP]

The Korean government is reviewing whether to provide additional support beyond humanitarian aid for recovery efforts in Laotian areas devastated by recent floods, a Foreign Ministry official in Seoul said on Monday.

The government has already dispatched an emergency relief team comprising 15 doctors and five aid workers to villages in southern Laos swept away by floods caused by a nearby dam collapse. The government is also offering $1 million worth of aid.

“We will conduct an additional review of whether to stop with humanitarian assistance or go to an initial recovery or reconstruction state,” the Foreign Ministry official told reporters on background. The review usually takes into consideration the receiving nation’s relations with Korea and local conditions.

The ministry will first make a preliminary decision and then conduct interagency consultations for a final decision, the official said.

Last week, a dam under construction on a mountain saddle in Laos collapsed and caused a flood that inundated villages in the area. SK Engineering & Construction and Korea Western Power are the two Korean partners in the project.

Yonhap