South Korea will provide $20 million in aid to support the removal of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Vietnam under a project launched on Monday. The Korea-Vietnam Mine Action Project aims to identify contaminated areas and remove landmines and UXOs in the central provinces of Binh Dinh and Quang Binh. Official data showed 40% of the land in Binh Dinh is contaminated with explosives left from wartime and nearly 28% of Quang Binh's area is affected. Money will also be spent on supporting victims and raising people’s awareness of the risks of mines, officials said at the meeting in Quang Binh. The project is a collaboration between the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the United Nations Development Program. Lee Miyon from the Korean embassy said the project is hoped to bring "real changes in the lives of many people in central Vietnam." Phung Ngoc Son, general director of the Vietnam National Mine Action Center, said the project is one the largest of its kind to be supported by foreign aid. Between 1945 and 1975, during two wars with French and American invaders, more than 15 million tons of explosives were dropped on Vietnam; four times higher than the amount used in World War II. Decades into peace time, around 800,000 tons of unexploded ordnance remains scattered across the country, contaminating 6.1 million hectares or 18.71% of the country’s land area. Explosions have occurred often and killed around 40,000 people since the end of the war, according to official data. (VnExpress Apr 10)
