South Korea's presidential National Security Council (NSC) held a meeting of its standing members Wednesday and decided to step up efforts to drum up public support for plans to provide North Korea with humanitarian assistance, Cheong Wa Dae said.

The regular meeting, chaired by National Security Director Chung Eui-yong, came after a unification ministry panel endorsed the planned donation of US$8 million to the World Food Program

(WFP) and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) for use to help children and pregnant women in need in the communist nation.

"The standing members have decided to further strengthen efforts for communication with the people" in connection with the plan to deliver nutritional and medical products, Cheong Wa Dae said.

They also took note of the results of defense ministerial talks with the United States, Japan and China held on the sidelines of the Asia Security Summit in Singapore last week.

The counterparts of South Korea's Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said their countries will actively support the diplomatic push for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and permanent peace, Cheong Wa Dae pointed out.

Also attending the NSC session were Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul and National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon. (Yonhap)