North Korea stays mum on South Korea's offer for COVID

2024-05-29 18:49:13      点击：187

Members of the North Korean army supply medicines to residents at a pharmacy, amid growing fears over the spread of COVID-19 in Pyongyang, in this photo released by Kyodo, May 18. North Korea has remained unresponsive to South Korea's proposal for a formal offer of consultations on providing COVID-19 medical assistance for the fourth consecutive day. Reuters-Yonhap

North Korea has remained unresponsive to South Korea's proposal for a formal offer of consultations on providing COVID-19 medical assistance for the fourth consecutive day, according to a ministry official here, Thursday.

The Ministry of Unification had sought to deliver a related fax message to the North through its liaison office Monday, to hold working-level talks and offer assistance to the impoverished neighbor struggling with the recent outbreak.

But the North has not expressed its intention to accept the message during a routine phone call at 9 a.m. Thursday, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, North Korea, with a population of around 25 million, had reported more than 1.97 million "fever cases" and 63 fatalities.

Pyongyang reported its first COVID-19 case last Thursday, after claiming to be free of the coronavirus for over two years. (Yonhap)