South Korea decided Sunday to provide the United States with 30 million US dollars to help it recover from the deadly Hurricane Katrina.

The decision was made in a meeting of related government ministers that was presided over by South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan earlier Sunday, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

The meeting also decided to send a 50-strong search-and-rescue team and a package of relief supplies as soon as possible.

"The government will cooperate with the civilian sector and the National Red Cross to raise the funds needed for the aid," Lee Kang-jin, spokesman at the Office of Prime Minister, was quoted by Yonhap as saying.

However, South Korean officials to the meeting did not decide whether to mobilize military manpower and equipment to help rescue work in the US Gulf Coast region devastated by the hurricane.

"The issue was not discussed deeply since the US did not request it," Lee said. "Furthermore, the issue of the military dispatch requires a process of parliamentary approval."

Source: Xinhua