The South Korean Ministry of Unification (MOU) on Thursday defended the need for an increased Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund and an “undisclosed budget” for economic cooperation.

The unification ministry said that the National Assembly and media have raised several issues during the course of the National Assembly’s deliberations on next year’s budget proposal and fund management plan.

The ministry in August presented the budget for the next year at a Cabinet meeting, requesting more than KRW1.22 trillion ($1 billion) for the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, an increase of 10.3 percent from this year.

The MOU today objected to concerns over the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund’s