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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Yonhap |
North Korea has remained unresponsive for the second day to South Korea's attempt to offer dialogue on COVID-19 medical supplies and healthcare cooperation, a ministry official here said Tuesday.
The Ministry of Unification had sought to deliver a related fax message to the North, Monday, through their liaison office. It is seeking to hold working-level consultations on the ongoing epidemic in the impoverished country and assistance in medical supplies, including vaccines, masks and test kits.
The two Koreas held their routine phone call at 9 a.m. Tuesday, but Pyongyang has not expressed its intention to accept the fax yet, according to the unification ministry official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"As North Korea is aware of our stance on cooperation in disease prevention, our government will wait for the North's response without pressing it," he said, stressing that Pyongyang will need time to review whether to accept the message.
If it receives a response from Pyongyang, the ministry will take a "practical and realistic" approach to review various ways to hold the working-level consultations, including an online videoconference, the official said.
North Korea reported a total of more than 1.48 million "fever cases" and 56 fatalities as of 6 p.m. Monday. (Yonhap)
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