JEJU, South Korea — The Jeju Island government resumed its inter-Korean exchange program after a 16-year suspension by sending 160 million won ($105,000) worth of agricultural, medical and forestry supplies to North Korea, officials announced Monday.
The shipment included dialysis machines, 50 hallabong citrus saplings, greenhouse materials and forest pest control chemicals. According to the Jeju Island government, the supplies departed Incheon Port on April 1, passed through Dalian Port in China and arrived at Nampo Port in North Korea on May 4.
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification approved the shipment in March, saying the plan complied with the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act.
Jeju officials said they believe a North Korean organization supporting people with disabilities received the supplies. However, they said North Korea has not officially confirmed receipt of the shipment.
The provincial government said representatives from both sides reached a broad agreement in Beijing in February to implement cooperation projects in phases. The projects will initially focus on citrus farming, medical welfare and forest pest control before expanding to pig farming and tourism.
The initiative gained momentum after Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun met with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Nov. 5 last year and requested support for resuming citrus shipments to North Korea.
Oh also met with Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing on Nov. 18 and requested China’s assistance in facilitating inter-Korean cooperation.
The project drew attention after reports said Oh and Jeju officials met with Ri Ho-nam, a North Korean operative affiliated with the Reconnaissance General Bureau, and other North Korean officials in Beijing in February. Officials did not disclose the meeting venue or identify the North Korean participants.
Ri previously appeared in connection with inter-Korean exchange activities and was mentioned during court proceedings involving the 2019 remittance case linked to the Ssangbangwool Group.
The reported contact is expected to face scrutiny regarding how the meeting occurred and whether officials followed proper procedures.
Direct communication between North and South Korea has remained limited in recent years amid tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and the previous South Korean administration’s policy toward Pyongyang.
Jeju’s inter-Korean exchange program had remained largely suspended since 2010, when South Korea imposed sanctions following the sinking of the naval corvette Cheonan. A multinational investigation concluded that a North Korean torpedo caused the sinking.