Seoul: The Jeju provincial government announced it has recently dispatched dialysis machines, tangerine saplings, and other supplies to North Korea as part of an inter-Korean cooperation project. The shipment, valued at 160 million won (US$104,000), reached North Korea's western port of Nampho on May 4 after being sent from South Korea's port of Incheon on April 1, passing through the Chinese port of Dalian.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the provincial government submitted an application to the unification ministry on March 9 to deliver the items, which included medical equipment, forestry pesticide, and saplings of Hallabong, a citrus fruit grown on Jeju. The shipment was coordinated with a North Korean support group for the disabled. However, there has been no confirmation from North Korea regarding the arrival of the supplies.

The project initiative started after Governor Oh Young-hun discussed inter-Korean cooperation with Unification Minister Chung Dong-young last November. Subsequently, in February, a provincial delegation met with North Korean officials to agree on phased cooperation projects. The initial focus is on tangerines, medical welfare, and forest pest control, with plans to expand into pig farming and tourism.

Despite the Jeju government's refusal to confirm a local media report about a February meeting between Governor Oh and Ri Ho-nam, a North Korean intelligence operative, the province has a history of inter-Korean cooperation. Previous projects included the delivery of 48,000 tons of tangerines and 18,000 tons of carrots to North Korea from 1998 to 2010. These efforts were halted after the 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship by a North Korean torpedo. However, Jeju continued to send tangerines sporadically in 2018 and 2021.