On September 21, the government decided to fund US$8 million to projects supporting the vulnerable, such as pregnant women and infants, in North Korea through international organizations like the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP). However, the government decided to consider the inter-Korean situation when determining the time and scale of the actual support. The government appears to have opted for a flexible approach to details considering the public opinion in and outside the country, which has deteriorated due to a series of nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches by the North.

This day, the government held a meeting of the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council chaired by Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon at the government office in Seoul and reviewed and made decisions on the funding of $8 million to UNICEF and WFP from the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund.

The government decided to provide $3.5 million to a UNICEF aid program that provides health care and malnutrition treatment to children and pregnant women in North Korea and $4.5 million to a WFP program that provides nutrition-enhanced food to pregnant women and children in child care facilities and hospital pediatric wards.

The Ministry of Unification explained that the latest decision was based on the government's basic position: The government will promote humanitarian aid to North Korea separately from the political situation. In his opening remarks during the meeting, Minister Cho said, "Separating sanctions on the North Korean government and humanitarian aid for North Korean citizens is a universal principle and value that the international community shares." The two international organizations had both requested the government's funding shortly after the launch of the Moon Jae-in government.

However, the ministry announced, "The actual time and scale of funding will be determined after comprehensively considering the overall conditions, such as inter-Korean relations." This policy is in line with what Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha had told Anthony Lake, the executive director of UNICEF, when they met in New York on September 19 (local time).
Minister Kang said, "We will determine the details including the time of the support after comprehensively reviewing the overall situation including inter-Korean relations and North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations."

However, some people point out that the government's principle, “to separate humanitarian aid from the political situation,” contradicts the government's decision “to consider the inter-Korean situation.” Last week, when the government announced its plans to fund UNICEF and WFP, it stressed the urgency of the funding by mentioning the poor conditions that the vulnerable groups in North Korea faced, and experts argue that the government's decision to "adjust the timing" is a logical contradiction to the government's position.

Nevertheless, the government appears to have opted for the latest decision due to the negative public opinion inside and outside the country. A unification ministry official said, "We know that there is a lot of attention and concern about the government's funding of humanitarian aid for North Korea."

The public's attention is now on when the actual funding will occur. The ministry further elaborated that previous cases showed that the government often took a month or two engaging in working-level discussions for the actual execution of the funding even after they decided to fund an international organization. Therefore, the latest decision is only the first step in resuming humanitarian aid to North Korea, something that had been completely suspended during the Park Geun-hye government. The government practically admitted that they still have obstacles to overcome until the actual execution of the funding.

The latest project is the first humanitarian aid to North Korea by the Moon Jae-in government. Aid to North Korea through international organizations had been suspended after North Korea's fourth nuclear test in January 2016, and the funding of $800,000 to the UN Population Fund for a socio-economic population and health survey of North Korea in December 2015 was the last of the government funding.

The Park Geun-hye government also determined to promote humanitarian aid regardless of the political situation, but they added a condition, "The time and scale of the funding will be determined after a comprehensive review" after Pyongyang’s fourth nuclear test, which kept the government from providing further funding.