OVERLAND TRANSPORT OF AID TO N. KOREA LIKELY THIS WEEK.

SEOUL, May 3 Asia Pulse - Construction equipment and building materials from South Korea for recuperation of the area affected by last week's train explosion in North Korea are likely to be sent by land this week, government officials said Sunday.

The shipment will constitute the first batch of the US$25 million worth of construction materials South Korea is to send to the North by mid-May.

The South Korean government and relief agencies also plan to truck in school desks and chairs this week.

Last Friday, in a turnaround from its earlier position, Pyongyang said it will allow the South to transport by land some aid across the inter-Korean border to help relief efforts at the site of the train blast.

The North said it will receive the overland shipment in its border town Kaesong.

The list of relief items requested by North Korea includes 50,000 tons of cement, 10 bulldozers, five steam shovels, 500 tons of diesel fuel oil, 500 tons of gasoline, 1,000 tons of reinforced steel bars, 50 television sets and 10,000 tons of food.

The North also asked for 1,500 school chairs and ...