The United States has decided to suspend its food aid to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) at Pyongyang's request, a spokesman for the State Department said on Tuesday.

"Yes. North Korea (DPRK) has informed the United States that it does not wish to receive additional US food assistance at this time," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said at a regular news briefing, responding to a question whether Pyongyang has said it does not want US food aid.

"We will work with US NGOs and the North Korean counterparts to ensure that food that's already been in North Korea is distributed to the intended recipients," he added.

Wood said the United States received the notification from the DPRK in recent days. But he did not give a specific date.

According to the spokesman, the United States has delivered 169,000 metric tons of food to the DPRK in 2008 and 2009. The last shipment of US food aid, which was nearly 5,000 metric tons of vegetable oil and corn soy blend, arrived in the DPRK in late January and is being distributed by US NGOs.

The US decision came amid tensions between Washington and Pyongyang over a DPRK plan to launch a satellite into space next month.

(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2009)