A South Korea-based organization which helps North Korean defectors settle in the country announced its plan on Monday to provide aid materials for elderly refugees suffering from the ongoing threat of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The announcement is the second in the last month from the Korea Hana Foundation, which in mid-March provided emergency relief supplies to 420 North Korean escapees primarily living in the city of Daegu and elsewhere in North Gyeongsang Province — the region that has experienced the worst outbreak in the country.

The additional aid announced on Monday is “for the vulnerable group among North Korean defectors” residing in other parts of the country as well, the organization said in a press release.

“The aid… is for those who are suffering limitations in purchasing daily necessities and personal hygiene items due to the long-lasting COVID-19 situation and restriction of movement.”

Monday’s press release said the Korea Hana Foundation plans to send the additional emergency relief kits to 636 elderly defectors.

Included in the kits are daily necessities and personal protective items such as packaged food and hand sanitizer, the group said, adding that the kits will be delivered to those whose needs have been confirmed through local Korea Hana centers.

The aid will reportedly be financed through private donations, while the organization stated its willingness to review the need to additionally support other defector households that are suffering from economic difficulties due to COVID-19.

Since its first outbreak on January 20 this year, South Korea as of Monday morning has seen a total of 10,284 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 64 percent of the patients now released from isolation.

More than 33,000 North Korean defectors are currently living in South Korea, with 1,326 among them aged over 60, according to Ministry of Unification (MOU) data as of December 2019.

Edited by Colin Zwirko