The International Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) said in a report that it has been able to send little aid to North Korea for more than two years.

According to the agency's 2021 report, the total value of aid delivered to the North stood at just over a meager 21 million won last year, with most of it going toward medical support.

The report said that most aid programs in the North are suspended as international workers cannot enter the country due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Projects to increase food output in rural communities and expand suburban access to water and hygiene facilities are all on hold.

The agency’s efforts to educate North Korean officials and its Red Cross employees on how to handle unexploded ordnance, landmines and explosive remnants and treat related patients have also been halted, according to the report.

The ICRC said that at present, it remotely manages its local office in North Korea from Beijing, and remains in contact with the North Korean Red Cross online.

The report added that the North's borders remain closed and COVID-19 vaccination has yet to begin in the country.

[Photo : YONHAP News]