The $900,000 in US aid for flood-hit North Korea that Washington announced last month will be delivered in the coming days, the US State Department said Friday.

"A cargo plane of relief supplies is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang over the weekend," said spokeswoman Victoria Nuland in a statement.

"We will provide funds to the US non-governmental organization Samaritan's Purse for use in its flood relief efforts. US government assistance will consist solely of emergency relief supplies, such as blankets, soap, and hygiene kits," she said.

The United States, Nuland emphasized, "remains deeply concerned about the well-being of the North Korean people, and this humanitarian assistance is not linked to any political or security issues."

In August, officials said the funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) would contribute to emergency relief supplies for Kangwon and North and South Hwanghae provinces through NGOs.

The United States has for months been withholding a decision on sending food aid to North Korea until Pyongyang tackles US concerns over whether it will be distributed to the needy.

Impoverished North Korea has requested overseas food and in May invited a US envoy to assess its needs. Relief groups have said that North Korea faces imminent shortages, although many US lawmakers have been skeptical.

State media said August 5 that floods in North Korea triggered by torrential rain late last month killed 30 people and destroyed more than 6,750 houses.

More than 15,800 people were left homeless by the floods, which also inundated more than 48,000 hectares (120,000 acres) of farmland, "seriously affecting this year's grain output," the Korean Central News Agency said.

The state news agency said 350 factories and public buildings also collapsed in the heavy rain and floods.

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