South Korea pledges $500,000 for drought relief in Honduras

South Korea will provide $500,000 in humanitarian assistance to Honduras, where a drought continuing since May has worsened food insecurity, its Foreign Ministry said on October 12.

The funding will be delivered through international organisations working in the country, according to the ministry’s release. The announcement describes a decision to provide aid and does not say that the money has already been disbursed.

The ministry cited a September 22 emergency appeal from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. It estimated that about 620,000 people in 103 areas under a drought red alert faced food insecurity at crisis level or worse.

According to the appeal as summarised by the ministry, food shortages have led to malnutrition and forced affected households to sell assets to sustain their livelihoods. Seoul said it hoped the assistance would help communities return to normal life.