Seoul halts rice deliveries to N.Korea until it stops reactor

Seoul has suspended rice supplies to North Korea until it shuts down its nuclear reactor, South Korea's Yonhap news agency cited a government source as saying Thursday. At bilateral negotiations Wednesday, North and South Korea failed to agree on delivery terms, not only for rice, but also raw materials for Pyongyang's light industry.

Seoul made it clear earlier that it would cooperate with North Korea, and planned to supply 400,000 metric tons of rice to North Korea late in May. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization said previously that North Korea faces a serious food shortage this year and will need an additional 500,000 MT of rice.