Impoverished North Korea asks South for fertiliser

Impoverished North Korea, suffering a chronic food shortage, has asked South Korea for a massive supply of fertiliser, aid officials said.

The South Korean Red Cross said it had received the request from its counterpart in North Korea and planned to ask the Government to accept the request on humanitarian grounds.

If accepted, the request for 150,000 tonnes in addition to the 200,000 tonnes shipped to the North last month would push total supply so far this year beyond the 300,000 tonnes in annual fertiliser aid in recent years.