S.Korea provides $900,000 for U.N. Myanmar aid

By Hyonhee Shin

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has provided $900,000 to a U.N.-led humanitarian aid initiative for Myanmar, U.N. data showed on Thursday.

A spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said earlier data on its financial tracking service showing a contribution of $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 $600,000, Asia Pacific head of communications for the Office Pierre Peron said.

The fund calls for some $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 pro-democracy protests, adding to the country's struggle with the coronavirus pandemic.

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. (This story corrects throughout to show South Korea, not North Korea, made the donation)

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin)