South Korea provides US$900,000 for UN Myanmar aid

SEOUL: South Korea has provided US$900,000 to a UN-led humanitarian aid initiative for Myanmar, UN data showed on Thursday (Jun 17).

A spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said earlier data on its financial tracking service showing a contribution of US$300,000 by North Korea was wrong and it has since been corrected.

The contribution on May 24 to the Myanmar Humanitarian Fund came from South Korea in addition to a separate contribution of US$600,000, Asia Pacific head of communications for the Office Pierre Peron said.

The fund calls for some US$276 million to help Myanmar, where hundreds of people have died since the military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February and began a bloody crackdown on protests, adding to the country's struggle with the coronavirus pandemic.

READ: 'No regrets': Myanmar dissidents evade junta with life on the run 

While continuing to provide aid, South Korea has suspended defence exchanges and banned exports of arms and other strategic items to the Southeast Asian country.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story from Reuters said that North Korea had given a donation to a UN fund for Myanmar. Reuters has since corrected this to South Korea.