Government on Wuhan Pneumonia: "No Plans Yet to Provide Masks to Buk"

"No Possibility of Spread Through Inter-Korean Contact"

On the 28th, as fear of the novel coronavirus infection known as 'Wuhan pneumonia' spreads, office workers are seen wearing masks on their way to work at the Sejongno intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jin-Hyung Kang aymsdream@

The government announced on the 28th that it is closely monitoring the situation regarding whether to provide North Korea with quarantine supplies such as masks in relation to the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia).

A Ministry of Unification official said to reporters on the same day, in response to a question asking whether the government is considering proactively providing quarantine supplies or masks to the North to prevent the spread of Wuhan pneumonia, "We need to continue observing the situation."

He added, "The situation seems somewhat different from African Swine Fever (ASF), and we need to look at our own situation first."

During last year's ASF outbreak, the government proactively pushed for support of quarantine supplies.

The official said, "So far, we believe there is no possibility of spread through contact between the South and the North," and added, "We need to keep monitoring the situation in North Korea."

Meanwhile, North Korea is actively taking urgent measures to prevent the inflow of Wuhan pneumonia. North Korean media have been publishing articles related to Wuhan pneumonia daily, emphasizing preventive guidelines to residents.

The Workers' Party organ, Rodong Sinmun, reported on the same day in an article titled "Urgent Measures to Prevent the Novel Coronavirus Infection," stating, "In the health sector, urgent measures are being taken to thoroughly establish preventive measures against the novel coronavirus infection, which has recently caused great anxiety and concern in the international community."

Given that the newspaper stated, "Through the devoted efforts of health sector workers, thorough quarantine measures are being established to absolutely prevent the novel coronavirus infection from entering our country," it appears that there are no confirmed cases of Wuhan pneumonia within North Korea yet.

Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un pledged to strengthen cooperation in the fields of quarantine and healthcare through the Pyongyang Joint Declaration on September 19, 2018. On November 7 of that year, a South-North healthcare subcommittee meeting was held at the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, and on December 12, influenza information was exchanged on a trial basis. However, since then, inter-Korean quarantine cooperation has been virtually suspended.