Seoul’s unification ministry has expressed hope that North Korea will be able to manage the spread of COVID-19, and for the outbreak to quickly subside.
  
The ministry issued its official position on Thursday after North Korea confirmed its first ever case earlier in the day.
 
It said that the South Korean government stands ready to provide support to North Korean people and carry out cross-border cooperation in healthcare and anti-viral efforts from a humanitarian perspective.
 
The ministry added that it will actively consider cooperating with North Korea or with the international community, if necessary.
 
North Korea reportedly convened a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on Thursday and admitted to its first confirmed case of the virus, involving the highly transmissible omicron strain, calling the situation a “major national emergency.”