The government will begin delivering 400-thousand tons of rice aid to North Korea from this Saturday after a series of delays related to stalled progress in the six-party process.

Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung told a briefing Tuesday that the first batch of three thousand tons will leave Gunsan port this Saturday for the North Korean port of Nampo.

Of the total 400-thousand tons in aid, 150-thousand is homegrown rice and the rest is imported. The total aid package is valued at 152 million dollars.

The minister said that Pyongyang urged that the shipments begin promptly during the recent inter-Korean ministerial talks, adding that Seoul decided to go ahead given public consensus on humanitarian aid and global calls for aid.

The government's resumption of rice aid comes a year-and-a-half after aid shipments were delayed in January of last year. They were postponed further following North Korea's missile test launches last summer and nuclear test in October.

As it normally takes a month to ship 100-thousand tons of rice, it will likely take until October to complete all shipments.