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A wire fence to divide North and South Korea
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Orchards, stables among development projects
Several South Korean provincial governments have concentrated their energy on inter-Korean exchange and cooperation under a partnership with their North Korean counterparts. The city of Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, along with Goseong County in North Korea, first began cooperative projects in March 2004. After two years, their efforts are bearing fruit. Harvesting is underway at a 10,000-pyeong (33,100 square meter) orchard of apples and peaches, which the two local governments developed in Goseong in August 2004. Chechon City expects that the harvest will reap about 1 ton of apples and 1.5 tons of peaches this year. Commercially low in value, the fruit will go to kindergartens and schools in North Korea.The two governments plan to hold an apple festival at the Samilpo ranch, near Goseong, on Sept. 12-14, where they would sell the fruits to tourists visiting nearby Mt. Kumgang (Geumgang). They also have plans to begin selling the fruit to the two Koreas after expanding the ranch to 100,000 pyong. An official of Chechon in charge of inter-Korean exchange said, "North Korea hopes to enlarge the ranch and to strengthen cooperation and increase aid to the project. After the Unification Ministry approves our plan, we are going to expand South-North cooperation." Inter-Korean cooperation of North Jeolla Province has gained strength, as well. The province has made an effort for South-North agricultural cooperation since March 2004 and has supported the purchase of agricultural tools and materials sent to Hwanghae Province and Pyongyang in North Korea. A working committee from North Jeolla Province visited Pyongyang and discussed with North Korean officials regarding the possible construction of a livestock stable. The province, in collaboration with 14 cities and counties, has as of last year sent aid amounting to about 1.8 billion won (US$1.9 million) to the North’s South Hwanghae and South Pyongan provinces. Between January and May last year, North Jeolla Province supported North Korea’s purchase of agricultural machines and material amounting to about 380 million won, and they have further aid plans in the works amounting to 1.5 billion won. Okcheon County of North Chungcheong Province has also laid down a foundation for South-North economic cooperation when in 2001 it sent about 31,000 young trees to the North Korean cities of Nampo and Gaeseong. April last year, it sent an additional 30,000 saplings to Gaesong in the North.
