The U.S. says it has no plan to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea for the time being.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley on Monday told a regular news briefing that although Washington is still concerned about the welfare of North Korean residents, it has no plans to provide humanitarian aid for the North at this time.

Crowley said that the problem in regards to the North Korean aid issue has always been doubt about the ability to ensure that humanitarian assistance provided by the U.S. gets to those in need.