S. Korea to Provide US$1 mln to U.N. Fund for People Near Shrinking Aral Sea Posted on An abandoned ship near Aral, Kazakhstan (image: Public Domain) SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea pledged Thursday to provide US$1 million to a U.N. development fund to help communities near the Aral Sea suffering from decadeslong water depletion, the foreign ministry said. Chung Kee-yong, director general for climate change, energy, environment and scientific affairs at Seoul’s foreign ministry, signed an agreement to provide the funds during a virtual meeting with Jennifer Topping, executive coordinator of the U.N. Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office, the ministry said.