The South Korean government says due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, it's unlikely that the two Koreas will hold a joint event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first-ever inter-Korean summit.

Unification Ministry spokesperson Yoh Sang-key said on Friday that a South Korean nongovernmental organization proposed a joint ceremony earlier this year, to which the North hasn't responded.

The spokesperson added that Seoul is preparing to hold an event on its own under the theme "Peace on the Korean Peninsula."

The two Koreas adopted a declaration for reconciliation and cooperation during the inter-Korean summit between then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in June 2000.

Seoul and Pyongyang held joint commemorative events from 2001 to 2008, but none since then.