An official from the Knowledge Economy Ministry in Seoul said that Japan’s Kansai Electric Power Corporation has asked South Korea to send to Japan 52 tons of boric acid, which is an essential material for cooling down nuclear reactors.

The request was made on Monday through the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.

Seoul has agreed to the request and has ordered the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corporation to make the shipment as soon as possible.

Japan is using boric acid mixed with seawater to cool down reactors at a nuclear power plant that was hit by last Friday’s earthquake and tsunami.

South Korean oil refineries, meanwhile, are considering agreeing to a separate request made by Japanese refineries to provide petroleum products to shore up shortages resulting from the quake.