By Yoo Dong-ho
Staff Reporter

A South Korean chartered cargo ship left for North Korea on Monday to deliver relief materials and construction equipments for the victims of the massive explosion of April 22 in the North Korean town of Ryongchon.

The 1,100-ton freighter the Oriental Pearl Two left the South’s western port of Inchon and will arrive in China’s port town of Dandung early in the morning today. It could reach the North’s border city of Shinuiju as early as Thursday.

This is the first time that relief materials from the South are sent via the Chinese city for the reconstruction of the North’s northwestern border town.

The Seoul’s relief items include five bulldozers and 10 payload-gauging apparatuses, according to Korea National Red Cross Officials.

The shipment came after trucks loaded with desks and other relief materials were sent overland to North Korea last Friday.

Seoul’s Red Cross officials are planning to dispatch a group of South Korean technical experts to Dandung to instruct North Korean relief workers how to operate construction equipments.

They notified their northern counterparts of the their relief plans at the truce village of Panmunjom.

In addition, 500 tons of 10-millimeter steel plates and 500 tons of vinyl chlorides will be shipped out Tuesday afternoon.

Further government and non-government shipments from the South are expected to follow as Seoul has decided to meet North Korea’s request for assistance.

South Korea earlier agreed to provide the North with all of the requested items estimated to be worth up to 25 billion won ($21 million).

The North had requested 13 different items to help in their reconstruction efforts, including heavy construction equipment, food, cement, steel plates, fuel, televisions and desks.

yoodh@koreatimes.co.kr