Government to Soon Propose Humanitarian Aid Amid North Korea COVID-19 Outbreak (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] As the COVID-19 situation in North Korea has become virtually uncontrollable, the government is expected to propose practical talks for humanitarian aid to North Korea on the 16th.

Minister of Unification nominee Kwon Young-se appeared at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 12th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

According to the Ministry of Unification on the 16th, Kwon Young-se, the newly appointed minister, plans to propose this to the North through the inter-Korean liaison office communication line either later that afternoon or by the morning of the 17th, after holding an official inauguration ceremony and consulting with officials.

A Ministry of Unification official said in the morning, "Since Minister Kwon has not yet officially taken office, no specific discussions have been held," but added, "Considering the spread of COVID-19 in North Korea and the need for a swift response, we plan to make a related proposal to the North as soon as possible to provide practical assistance to North Korea's COVID-19 prevention efforts."

Regarding this, Cho Joong-hoon, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, mentioned the spread of COVID-19 across North Korea during a regular briefing and stated, "The government plans to promptly make a related proposal to the North, considering the COVID-19 spread situation and the need for a swift response in North Korea."

Accordingly, related discussions are expected to accelerate as soon as Minister Kwon takes office this afternoon. Earlier, President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed on the 13th his intention to propose practical talks through the Ministry of Unification regarding the provision of COVID-19 medicines to North Korea.

However, it is uncertain whether North Korea will accept South Korea's proposal.

Although President Yoon instructed the Ministry of Unification to contact North Korea to provide COVID-19 vaccines, the possibility of acceptance appears low, considering North Korea continued its criticism of President Yoon on the 16th.

North Korea's external propaganda media, Uri Minjokkkiri, stated on the same day, "Despite the criticism and condemnation from various sectors in South Korea, the Yoon Suk-yeol faction is agonizing over how to hang the nameplate of the newly moved presidential office to Yongsan, wasting enormous taxpayers' money (twisting and moving the body in distress or sorrow)."

Professor Lim Eul-chul of the Far East Institute at Kyungnam University said, "North Korea is expected to seek an escape route through quarantine and healthcare cooperation with China for the time being," and added, "It is expected that Kim Jong-un's policy of overcoming the health crisis through self-reliance will continue."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, issued a special order to deploy the People's Army to stabilize the situation, citing that COVID-19 related medicines are not being distributed in a timely manner. The Korean Central News Agency reported on the same day, "On the 15th, the number of new fever cases approached 400,000, and 8 people died. Since the end of last month, the cumulative death toll has reached 50."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.