Government: "Zero South Korean Residents in North Korea"... Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Plummet Due to COVID-19 Impact

Ministry of Unification: "North Korea Border Closed... No Domestic Groups Visiting North Korea"

The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea, reported on the 20th with photos showing workers at the Ryomyong General Clinic in Taesong District wearing masks while working to respond to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) shows signs of spreading within local communities, inter-Korean exchange and cooperation are also unable to avoid the adverse effects caused by COVID-19.

On the 20th, an official from the Ministry of Unification told reporters in response to a question about whether there are any cases of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation related to COVID-19 quarantine cooperation, "The (North Korean) border is closed," adding, "As far as I know, there are currently no (domestic) groups visiting North Korea."

When asked whether there has been any contact between the two Koreas in third countries including China, the official said, "We have not confirmed whether there has been any contact," but added, "Currently, there is not a single South Korean resident in North Korean territory."

Furthermore, it is known that there have been no requests from international organizations for support of quarantine supplies to North Korea so far.

The Ministry of Unification official said, "The government basically believes that inter-Korean quarantine cooperation is necessary," and added, "We will make a judgment on whether to provide quarantine support to North Korea by comprehensively considering the situation on our side, the North Korean side, and that of international organizations." He also said, "There have been no new requests (from international organizations)."

Earlier, on the 19th, the Ministry of Unification stated that it could consider providing quarantine supplies to North Korea upon requests from international organizations.

Meanwhile, the Seoul-Pyongyang direct communication line, established after the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office suspended operations due to the impact of COVID-19, is functioning normally. A Ministry of Unification official said, "The communication line is operating normally every day," but added that no special messages have been exchanged between the two sides.