The government’s humanitarian support for North Korea appears to have come to a halt amid strained inter-Korean relations following the "Cheonan" naval incident.

A civic group that was set to receive 900 million won from the government’s inter-Korean cooperation fund to help children in the North's South Hamgyeong Province said its plans have been put on hold after the Unification Ministry decided to postpone the payment indefinitely.

Green One Korea, which is a private organization that has been pursuing reforestation projects in the North, said it recently requested that the Unification Ministry provide support funds of one billion won but has yet to get an approval.

Last December, the Unification Ministry earmarked some six billion won in inter-Korean cooperation funds for six private organizations that support North Korea, but the recent moves to withhold funding suggest the ministry may put a stop to all related payments.