An official at the Ministry of Unification said Thursday South Korea plans to take humanitarian measures to give aid to North Korea at an earlier date than first proposed through various U.N. agencies.

The ministry will hold consultations with U.N. agencies, including the World Food Program (WFP), to discuss the details of providing humanitarian aid to the North and implement the measures after reporting them to the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, the government will provide 100,000 tons of corn worth $18 million dollars in aid to the North in the first half of the year through the WFP.

It will also help the World Health Organization engage in quarantine operations against the outbreak of malaria in the North by providing $700,000 dollars next month.

With a view to helping children and impoverished people in the North, the government will also send $500,000 dollars worth of goods to the North through the U.N. Children's Fund