It was revealed today that the Korea National Red Cross (KNRC) has agreed to give $100,000 in aid to North Korea through the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC).

"The IFRC recently requested the participation of the KNRC in North Korean disaster prevention and flood relief," an official with the KNRC explained this morning. The aid for the purchase of relief supplies is being given, the official added, “from the humanitarian and brotherly perspective to those North Korean citizens who are suffering due to the recent flooding.”

The aid, which comes from existing funds appropriated for assistance to North Korea, "is separate from the 300,000 Swiss Francs the IFRC has allocated to support the North Korean flooding,” the official also clarified.

The IFRC revealed the extent of the funding it has earmarked to aid North Korea in a report released on the 1st, saying, “We have earmarked 300,000 Swiss Francs (approx. $308,000) from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to allow the North Korean Red Cross Society to assist 2,500 households, around 10,000 civilians, who have suffered flood damage.”

The South Korean funds will be used to purchase tents, sanitation and cooking equipment for those left homeless by the recent floods.

North Korean state media reports indicate the deaths of a total of 560 people alongside the loss of more than 8000 homes and flooding of a further 43,700 in the recent heavy rains and attendant flooding.