Aid ship sets off to North Korea

South Korea was set to restart fertiliser shipments to North Korea today, marking the official resumption of economic assistance to the impoverished country.

A Vietnamese-registered cargo ship was to depart the southwestern port of Yeosu at 2pm (5am Irish time) for North Korea, carrying 6,500 tons of composite fertiliser - the first batch of a 300,000-ton shipment, the Unification Ministry said in a statement.