South Korea to offer $5m in new Ebola aid

South Korea will offer US$5 million in additional assistance to help deal with the aftermath of the devastating Ebola outbreak, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

The government plans to send a delegation to the International Ebola Recovery Conference in New York that will be hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this week. The team will be led by Shin Dong-ik, deputy minister for multilateral and global affairs.

In a speech at the two-day session to run through Friday (local time), Shin will reiterate Seoul's commitment to a bigger role in handling a global humanitarian crisis, said the ministry.

He will also announce Seoul's plan to provide US$ 5 million in fresh financial aid as part of the efforts, it added.

The conference, meanwhile, will be attended by the leaders of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, all of which are hard hit by the Ebola pandemic.

It will be held in partnerships with the African Union, the African Development Bank, the European Union and the World Bank.

Last year, South Korea made a similar financial contribution of $5 million to help fight against the deadly virus.