The Unification Ministry announced Thursday it promised to provide North Korea some five-point-seven million U.S. dollars in aid this year. 

The figure includes four million dollars of a total five million dollars South Korea said it would donate to the World Health Organization(WHO) for humanitarian assistance projects in North Korea to increase access to medical treatment for women and children. The ministry initially gave the WHO one million dollars in 2019. 

Seoul's pledge also covers one-point-73 million dollars it planned to send to the North via the South Korean Red Cross for three projects to help with restoration efforts after Typhoon Lingling.  

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, South Korea's aid for North Korea is estimated at around five-point-73 million dollars this year, accounting for 60 percent of all assistance the international community has promised to donate to the North.

The ministry revealed that additionally, it approved a private organization’s request to send 100 million won worth of hand sanitizers across the border to support efforts to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first time the government has approved such a request.

[Photo : YONHAP News]