Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong said Thursday that continuing food aid to North Korea requires the public's consent and support.

In a speech on the Lee Myung-bak administration's policy toward North Korea, the minister said that Seoul will continue inter-Korean economic cooperation projects and humanitarian aid to the North.

However, he also called for North Korea to change its attitude toward humanitarian issues and to ensure transparency.

He urged Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

His speech, which was delivered after the North expelled South Korean officials from the Gaesong Industrial Complex, is believed to be a message to Pyongyang that Seoul's new administration will not change its North Korea policy.