South Korea will begin shipping 50-thousand tons of heavy fuel oil to North Korea next week as part of the initial steps for the North's denuclearization under the February 13th agreement.

The Unification Ministry said Friday that it will send the first shipment of 62-hundred tons to Seonbong Port in North Korea at noon next Thursday.

The ministry said it will send the North detailed information about the oil shipment through a bilateral economic cooperation consultation office on Saturday.

It also announced that SK Energy, a unit of South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate, would provide the heavy fuel oil.