The government will send 100,000 tons of rice to North Korea via the Red Cross to help the communist state cope with the aftermath of recent deadly floods.

The aid will also include emergency medical kits, blankets, excavators and trucks.

The Red Cross in Seoul on Saturday discussed the delivery of aid with its North Korean counterpart at a working-level meeting at Mount Geumgang Hotel.

Seoul said Pyongyang expressed thanks for the help and respected the South's choice of items included in the aid and its scale.