As the presidents of South Korea and the U.S. greenlighted humanitarian food aid to North Korea during their telephone talks, Seoul's Unification Ministry is now reviewing followup measures.  

After visiting the inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong on Wednesday, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul told reporters he will soon draft a detailed plan for the aid.

While it's not clear whether the South will send the support directly to the North or through an international organization, Unification Ministry Spokesperson Lee Sang-min said the government will actively work in close cooperation with the international community for the envisioned food assistance.  

The move comes as the UN's World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization released a report last week, saying ten million people or 40 percent of the population in the North are in urgent need of food.

In September 2017, Seoul pledged eight million dollars to the World Food Program and UNICEF projects that support infant and prenatal care in North Korea. The aid, however, has yet to be delivered out of concerns that doing so may contravene the U.S. pressure campaign against Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile provocations.

[Photo : YONHAP News]