The Ministry of Unification said Friday that the flood-ravaged North Korea is expected to be in need of about one-point-seven million tons of food this year.

The ministry reported to the National Assembly that last month’s flood in the North added more than one-hundred-thousand tons of food to a previously estimated amount of food shortage.

The ministry estimated that North Korea needs an additional five times more equipment and materials for recovery work to recover the damage from a train explosion accident in Ryongchon in 2004.

The ministry plans to announce the amount of South Korea’s aid to the North on Sunday, after discussing it with North Korean officials on Saturday.