SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) – South Korea will provide US$3 million worth of humanitarian assistance to Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture to help the region cope with the aftermath of an earthquake that killed more than 200 people, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

The government hopes the aid will help with the region's recovery efforts and a swift return to their everyday lives for residents in the affected areas, the ministry said.

The death toll from a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula and surrounding areas in Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year's Day has climbed to 206, according to Japanese media.