South Korea will seek talks with North Korea regarding African swine fever(ASF) that is spreading across Asia.

A Unification Ministry official told reporters Thursday that the government is monitoring the outbreak and clarified that is not certain whether ASF has reached North Korea. The official said Seoul will convey to Pyongyang the need for cooperation in case of an outbreak.

The official added the two Koreas continue to discuss matters that require cross-border cooperation and it will be the same with this issue.

In a report released this week, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization mentioned North Korea, Mongolia, the Philippines and Thailand as countries at high risk over livestock and animal health due to the spread of African swine fever.