The South Korean government announced on Wednesday that it will provide China with emergency funds and aid materials to help the rescue works in Chinese earthquake-hit areas.

"The government plans to provide aid items such as blankets and tents that the Chinese side needs as well as emergency funds," Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said.

On Tuesday, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said it put 41 rescue workers and more than 20 medical staff on standby for a possible mission in China's southwestern province of Sichuan, where at least 12,000 people were killed in strong earthquakes on Monday.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak sent a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday to express his condolence to the victims of the earthquake.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)