A government source said Thursday that North Korea has indicated it won't ask South Korea for rice and fertilizer aid.

The source said Pyongyang officials in charge of inter-Korean affairs told their South Korean counterparts it was too late for fertilizer support. They added that they would not ask for rice and fertilizer aid from the South.

The source also noted that North Korean officials were well aware that Seoul's Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong told a parliamentary confirmation hearing that in providing large-scale humanitarian aid, Seoul should take the larger circumstances in consideration.

However, the source said the North Koreans did not mention a possible strain in inter-Korean relations if rice and fertilizer aid are suspended.

They were also quoted as saying that North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-kwan expected big changes after a Seoul-Washington summit scheduled next month.