Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok says the government will provide 150-thousand tons of fertilizer to North Korea from the end of this month.

In an interview with a KBS radio program Wednesday, Lee said the North had requested fertilizer aid through the Red Cross earlier this month.

On criticism that the provision of fertilizer should be linked with resolving the issue of South Korean abductees in the North, Lee said the offer of fertilizer aid to the impoverished state affects overall inter-Korean relations and stressed caution in approaching the matter.

Lee said the government had conveyed to Pyongyang the wish of former President Kim Dae-jung to delay his trip to the North to June, adding that North Korea's reply on the matter is expected to come at a later date.

Lee also said the resumption of the six-way nuclear talks would likely take some time.