South Korean civilian aid to North Korea has more than doubled over the past year.
 
The Ministry of Unification said Wednesday that aid from local civic groups to North Korea totaled eleven-point-two billion won this year, up sharply from five-point-four billion won last year.
 
Most of the items provided were medical supplies, food and powdered milk. The value of aid to North Korea's agricultural and forestry sectors increased 15 times from last year.
 
Contacts between the two sides to discuss joint projects rose 25 percent from last year to 470 instances. The number of South Koreans visiting the North more than tripled to some two-thousand people.