South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha will meet the executive director of the World Food Program(WFP) in Seoul next week to discuss food shortages in North Korea. 

The Foreign Ministry said Thursday that Kang and David Beasley will sit down on Monday to exchange opinions on the assessment of the North's food situation jointly made by the WFP and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) last week.  

The ministry said  South Korea recognizes a need to provide humanitarian assistance to help North Koreans, adding the U.S. shares the perception. 

The ministry added Seoul will closely cooperate with the U.S. and other members of the international community in pushing forward with humanitarian food aid for the North. 

Announcing the result of their joint survey last Friday, the two UN agencies said the North’s food production fell to a ten-year low of four-point-nine million tons last year, estimating the country will need more than one-point-three million tons of food aid this year.  

During his visit to South Korea, Beasley will also attend a global forum on helping sustainable agricultural development through official development assistance.