South Korea positively responded to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's letter to President Moon Jae-in earlier this week expressing consolation for South Koreans affected by the new coronavirus outbreak.

At a press briefing on Friday, Unification Ministry Deputy Spokesperson Cho Hey-sil said the letter was meant to send words of comfort to South Koreans that are suffering, adding it would be inappropriate to discuss the objective behind it.

Asked about the letter in relation to a recent statement issued by Kim's sister slamming the Moon Jae-in administration for criticizing the North's recent projectile launches, Cho said it would be unnecessary to link the two incidents.

The spokesperson stressed that Seoul maintains its push for a swift resumption of denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang, as well as related peace efforts, through mutual respect and dialogue.

Regarding the possibility of inter-Korean cooperation on preventing infectious diseases, Cho said that the government basically thinks that such cooperation is necessary, but there has been no request from the North, nor has there been any related discussions. 
 
The spokesperson also denied an opposition lawmaker's allegations that the government has been illegally shipping one million health masks to North Korea on a daily basis. Cho added that not even local civic groups have made requests to send such protective gear to the North.