S. Korean gov't attempts to send message to North over aid; Pyongyang unresponsive: ministry

By Yi Wonju and Chae Yun-hwan

SEOUL, May 16 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government has attempted to send a formal message to North Korea through their liaison office for cooperation against the COVID-19 outbreak, with Pyongyang unresponsive, a related ministry said Monday.

The unification ministry said it had sought to deliver the message, signed by its chief Kwon Young-se, to the North's head of the United Front Department, Kim Yong-chol, at 11 a.m. the same day. But the North has not yet clarified its intention on whether to "accept" the notification, it added.

The South hopes to hold working-level consultations with the North on its humanitarian aid plans.

"In regards to the omicron variant outbreak, we plan to send a formal message to North Korea proposing inter-Korean working-level talks to discuss the assistance of vaccines, medical supplies, masks and test kits, as well as expressing our willingness to share our experiences against the virus and cooperation in technical expertise," the ministry added.

The ministry then urged the North to respond to Seoul's calls for cooperation against the virus crisis.

Earlier in the day, the ministry's spokesperson Cho Joong-hoon noted that the North's state media had reported a total of 50 deaths from the ongoing epidemic and more than 1.2 million people with fever symptoms.

The two sides had a routine phone call "normally" through the direct communication channel Monday morning, he added.

yunhwanchae@yna.co.kr
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