South Korea pledges 20 mln dollar to UN for North's food

SEOUL, July 2 (Reuters) South Korea, which last week resumed bilateral food aid to North Korea, said today it would provide 20 million dollar to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to help it feed people in the impoverished country.

No timeframe for the donation was given in a statement from South Korea's unification ministry.

South Korea had suspended its regular food aid to North Korea in July 2006 in response to Pyongyang, defying international warnings and test-firing a barrage of ballistic missiles.

Seoul said last week it would resume its food handouts to the country, which battles chronic shortages, citing North Korean progress in implementing a six-way nuclear disarmament deal reached in February.

South Korea said the pledge to the WFP is separate from its bilateral aid.

The WFP aims to assist 1.9 million hit by food shortages among the North's 22.5 million population but is facing a funding shortfall, the WFP said on its Web site.

Even with a good harvest, North Korea still falls about 1 million tonnes short of the food needed to feed its people, experts said.

South Korea typically sends about 500,000 tonnes a year to North Korea. It has been criticised for not placing as many monitoring checks as the WFP on its aid, which make it more likely the food goes to the powerful military rather than the wider public.

REUTERS RN BST1504