S Korea to fund humanitarian aid projects for DPRK

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korea is considering offering funds to help private organizations provide more humanitarian aid to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), local media reported Monday.

The government plans to contribute nearly 1 billion won (about 850,000 U.S. dollars) to the projects. The plan will be finalized within this week, an unnamed government source was quoted by Yonhap News Agency as saying.

The funds are expected to be used in health and medical aid projects operated by local non-governmental organizations.

In a similar move, Seoul provided 3.5 billion won in August to private organizations providing humanitarian assistance to the DPRK.

South Korea suspended direct food and fertilizer aid to the DPRK after the conservative government led by Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008.

The government's plan will be separate from the DPRK's recent humanitarian aid request made during the just-concluded Red Cross talks on separated family reunions last week, said Chun Hae-sung, spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry.

The spokesman added that Seoul will begin reviewing Pyongyang's demand this week.

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae has repeatedly said the government is not considering any massive food or fertilizer assistance to the DPRK at this moment.