Koreas Agree on Grain Shipments

Red Cross officials from rival North and South Korea signed an agreement for the South to deliver 50,000 tons of grain to the hunger-stricken North, a Red Cross official said. The food will be delivered by the end of July, said Johan Schaar, a Red Cross spokesman. The aid will be transported by land routes and via North Korean ports, officials said, although the North refused to allow it to enter through the border truce town of Panmunjom. The deal, the first between the Red Cross societies of the two hostile nations since 1985, will help boost overall ties, South Korean officials said.