SOUTH KOREA

South Korea Will Trade With North Korea: South Korea will ship 5,600 tons of rice to North Korea this week in the first direct trade between the archrivals, still technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean conflict. The North is to supply 33,600 tons of anthracite coal and 12,320 tons of cement in exchange for the rice, South Korea said. “Five thousand tons of rice will leave the southwestern port of Mokpo and head for the North Korean port of Najin, probably on July 26,” said a spokesman at Samsun Shipping, which is handling the shipment. Several rounds of negotiations on the rice shipment have been held between South Korea’s privately owned Cheonji Trading Co. and North Korea’s Kumgansan International Trade since last March. South and North Korea have so far conducted transactions mainly through China and Hong Kong.