This undated photo shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting a rice paddy. Yonhap

South Korea approved a total of 5.52 billion won ($4.32 million) worth of private humanitarian aid deliveries to North Korea last year, the unification ministry said Tuesday.

The government gave the green light to 12 cases of humanitarian aid deliveries by civic groups to the North for the whole of 2022, including a shipment of goods worth 300 million won in December, according to the ministry.

Of the total, five cases were approved after the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in May last year.

"The government plans to continue to approve civic groups' bid to send humanitarian goods to North Korea this year after reviewing their applications," a ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

The ministry has said it will seek to provide humanitarian aid to the North through nongovernment organizations regardless of political and military situations. (Yonhap)