A foundation run by the chairman of South Korean conglomerate Hyundai’s car arm has donated $1.7 milion to the North Korean Refugees Foundation.

The Seoul-based ‘Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-koo Foundation’ made the deal, which will last three years.

The money will be used to facilitate the employment of three medical personnel to treat defectors and offer vocational courses to enable new arrivals to receive work training.

Hyundai Motors chairman Chung Mong Koo, who runs the foundation, is one of the richest men in South Korea, with an estimated worth of $6.2 billion.

Hyundai is a name that has long been associated with North Korea. Company founder Chung Ju Young was born in North Korean Gangwon Province, and maintained a lifelong interest in improving relations between Seoul and Pyongyang.