The head of the World Health Organization(WHO) says there are "encouraging signs" regarding COVID-19 emerging in South Korea.

[Sound bite: WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (English)]
"We see encouraging signs from the Republic of Korea. The number of newly-reported cases appears to be declining, and the cases that are being reported are being identified primarily from known clusters."
"The experience of these countries and of China continues to demonstrate that this is not a one-way street. This epidemic can be pushed back, but only with a collective, coordinated and comprehensive approach that engages the entire machinery of government." 

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the remarks during a press conference in Geneva on Thursday, stressing that governments around the world should enact emergency plans in preparation for an outbreak.

The WHO chief also said he'd recently met with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, who told him that her country is willing and prepared to help North Korea in the event of an outbreak there.  

WHO Health Emergencies Program executive director Michael Ryan, who attended the press conference as well, added that his organization is likewise prepared to go to the North at any time if the country reports a case.