The government has allowed 12 South Korean civic groups to provide North Korea with two-point-35 billion won worth of humanitarian aid.
 
The ministry said Monday it approved the groups’ 13 aid programs aimed at helping underprivileged North Koreans.
 
The ministry said it plans to provide 12-point-six million U.S. dollars for the World Health Organization-led aid program to help North Korean infants and children. It also said six-point-three million dollars from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund will be sent to the WHO. 
 
A ministry official said the previous humanitarian aid approved in July was restricted to medical supplies and food for infants and children, but the latest aid includes various items, including essential medical supplies for general North Korean residents.