South Korea Gifts 200 Tonnes of Tangerines to Pyongyang in Return for Mushrooms

13:27 GMT, 11 November 2018

In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent two tonnes of expensive pine mushrooms to Seoul as a gift for President Moon Jae-in, which were then shared among families living in South Korea that were separated during the war. The mushrooms were presented by Kim following a three-day summit in Pyongyang.

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Seoul sent a gift of 200 tonnes of tangerines to Pyongyang in response to the North Korean mushrooms, the Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday, citing the presidential office.

"Tangerines were chosen because they are in season at the moment, and it is a kind of fruit that is rare in North Korea," presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom stated, expressing hope that as many North Koreans as possible could taste them.

According to the spokesman, the cargo planes carrying the tangerines left for Pyongyang earlier in the day. The fruits, which were packed separately in 20,000 boxes, will be delivered to North Korea in four shipments by Sunday. The first plane is set to arrive in Pyongyang at 10 a.m local time.