The government has postponed a review session to endorse humanitarian spending for North Korean residents. 

A senior official at the Unification Ministry said on Thursday that a consultative meeting for inter-Korean exchange and cooperation was initially scheduled for the day but will be rescheduled at a later time. 

After the restoration of communications channels late last month, the government reviewed a plan to provide around ten billion won from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund for projects by South Korean civic groups to help vulnerable populations in the North such as children and pregnant women. 

Spending 500 million won or more from the fund requires the consultative body’s approval. 

The ministry cited a recent hike in COVID-19 infections in South Korea as the reason for deferment but Pyongyang’s criticism over the joint military exercise between South Korea and the U.S. is also believed to have affected the decision.