South Korea's Ministry of Unification gave a private organization approval to send 300 million won ($253,368) worth of protective face masks and other COVID-19-related equipment to North Korea, a ministry official stated on Thursday.

The approval was made earlier this month, and the unification ministry did not reveal the identity of the South Korean organization seeking to provide aid to the DPRK — a standard practice for the South Korean government. The ministry also did not specify which North Korean agency or region would receive the aid.