U.S. to give N. Korea 500,000 tonnes of food aid

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it would provide 500,000 metric tonnes in food aid to North Korea in a sign of improving cooperation despite their standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Aid groups say soaring global food prices and reluctance by donors have helped push North Korea close to famine. Experts estimate that a famine in the late 1990s in the reclusive communist state killed at least 1 million people.

The aid will start next month and be provided over a 12-month period, a statement from the U.S. Agency for International Development said.

It said the United States and North Korea had "agreed on terms for a substantial improvement in monitoring" to ensure the aid goes to the intended recipients. Previous U.S. aid shipments were suspended over concern they were not reaching the right people.

Washington will supply 400,000 tonnes of food via the U.N. World Food Program, while U.S. non-governmental organizations will distribute 100,000 tonnes, the statement said.

No dollar amount was given because that will depend on shipping costs and commodity prices at the time food is distributed, officials said.

USAID said an experts' meeting would be held in Pyongyang in the near future to work out operational matters.

"Pending a successful outcome of those discussions, the United States will deliver a first shipment in June, in light of the urgency of North Korea's food shortfall," it said.