South Korea approved the shipment of unprocessed sweet potatoes to North Korea last month by a civilian group here, an official said Monday, amid speculation that Seoul may be easing restrictions on humanitarian aid for the impoverished neighbor.
"The 20 tons of sweet potato aid at the end of last year were intended as nutritional assistance for babies and infants including those at an orphanage in the Sinuiju area," the unification ministry's spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing.