South Korea has decided to provide three African countries with $1.5 million in humanitarian assistance, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, as Seoul is aggressively pushing for "humanitarian diplomacy."

South Korea plans to offer $500,000 each to the Central African Republic, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The three have long suffered severe humanitarian crises due to civil war, poor security and governance and climate change, said the ministry.

There are more than 6 million refugees in the three countries.

In Somalia, around 4 million, over half of its total population, are short of food.

The United Nations has called for a total of $1.8 billion to help the three nations.

But the international community has paid more attention to Syria and Iraq.

"Our government plans to develop 'humanitarian diplomacy' as a major brand of South Korea's diplomacy," the ministry said. "In the process the government plans to expand interest and assistance for various humanitarian crises in the international community." (Yonhap)