By Yoo Dong-ho
Staff Reporter

North Korea on Tuesday asked South Korea to provide heavy equipment and construction materials for its effort to rebuild Ryongchon, its northern town that was devastated by a huge explosion last week.

In the inter-Korean meeting held at the North Korean city of Kaesong, however, Pyongyang turned down Seoul’s offer to dispatch engineers and transport relief goods by land.

``North Korea asked our delegation to send 10 items of relief supplies such as cements, bulldozers and diesel,’’ the South’s Unification Ministry spokesman Han Sang-il said in a briefing.

Pyongyang’s list included television sets, blackboards, desks and chairs, Han said. An elementary school was one of the most heavily damaged in the town of Ryongchon, with many school children killed by the blast that occurred as they trooped back home at 1 p.m.

Regarding Seoul’s offer to send a team of reconstruction specialists, the North said it was unnecessary.

Han said that the Southern delegation also made a proposal to transport relief goods by land and send emergency medical supplies by air, but the North declined. According to Red Cross officials, it needs about 10 hours to send supplies to Ryongchon from Seoul by the road, but the ships will take two days. North Korea fears letting its people know that it is receiving aid from South Korea, North Korea watchers in Seoul said.

However, Pyongyang thanked Seoul officials for its efforts to help.

According to Han, Pyongyang officials told the Southern delegation that it has stocks of medical kits and daily necessities commodities for thousands of residents left homeless by the blast that also killed over 160 people and injured 1,300 others.

A chartered commercial ship, ``Trade Fortune,’’ will sail from the South’s western port of Inchon for the North Korean port town of Nampo as early as on Thursday. It was earlier delayed by adverse weather conditions.

Seoul’s shipment will include 100,000 Separately, Seoul decided to hold a meeting boxes of instant noodles, 10,000 bottles of mineral water, 3,000 blankets, 3,000 sets of relief materials and 3,000 items of clothing. of related ministers on Wednesday to discuss further ways of helping the North. The meeting came at the request of the North, which refused to allow Seoul’s relief supplies to be transported by land. Meanwhile, the North sent a message via the truce village of Panmunjom that the previously arranged Cabinet-level discussions between two Koreas will be held as scheduled from May 4 to 7 in Pyongyang. The talks, which are the highest channel of dialogue between the two Koreas, are aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear weapons standoff. A day after the blast, Pyongyang hinted in a message that the talks would be postponed citing Seoul’s unprecedented presidential impeachment.

yoodh@koreatimes.co.kr