ⓒYONHAP News

The South Korean government has decided to provide North Korea with 50-thousand tons of rice through an international organization.

Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul announced the plan in a media briefing on Wednesday, adding the humanitarian aid will be delivered via the World Food Program(WFP).

The minister noted it is the minimum measure that South Korea can take given the North is facing their worst food crisis in a decade.

He said Seoul also took into consideration that provision of rice can contribute to inter-Korean cooperation and unity among the Korean people and that such aid is not regulated by international sanctions.

In a joint survey released early this month, the WFP and the Food Agriculture Organization(FAO) concluded that more than 10 million North Koreans are in need of urgent nutritional assistance and that the country needs to secure one-point-36 million tons of additional food for this year.

The South Korean government said it decided to give 50-thousand tons given the size of the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, similar cases in the past, and the rice supply in the South among other factors. 

Earlier this month, Seoul also donated eight million U.S. dollars to the WFP and UNICEF for humanitarian programs they have been running in the North.