SEOUL -- South Korea plans to start sending 200,000 tons of fertilizer to North Korea this month, Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun has said.

North Korea asked the South to provide fertilizer and 500,000 tons of rice at the 10th inter-Korean high-level talks oo Tuesday in Pyongyang, Jeong was quoted as telling the National Assembly.

"We will provide North Korea with 200,000 tons of fertilizer aid," Jeong was quoted as saying by a spokesman of the Unification Ministry, adding the first shipment will be made later this month.

The shipment is to be completed by late June, AFP reported.

"We have stressed that the North should not raise tensions further to avoid alienating public opinion so that (South Korea) may continue with its humanitarian aid," Jeong said, referring to the high-level talks.

Seoul failed Wednesday to extract a Pyongyang commitment to scrapping its nuclear programs at cabinet-level talks, but both sides agreed to pursue a wide range of cooperation projects.

The Pyongyang talks ended with a vague assertion Korea that the Stalinist country would cooperate in resolving the six-month-old nuclear crisis.

South Korea's Red Cross Society will be responsible for shipment of the fertilizer worth 65 billion won ($53.7 million).

South Korea provided 155,000 tons of fertilizer to the North in 1999, 300,000 tons in 2000, 200,000 tons in 2001 and 300,000 tons last year.

Jeong said the South will discuss the rice aid at a meeting of the Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Committee due to start on May 19 in Pyongyang.