SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a personal letter to "comfort" South Koreans fighting the COVID-19 epidemic just a day after his sister condemned Seoul as a "frightened dog barking", the South's presidential office said Thursday (Mar 5).
Pyongyang has imposed strict restrictions and closed its borders to try to prevent an outbreak and insists it has not had a single case of the novel coronavirus which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has since spread around the world.
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READ: Thousands wait for hospital beds in South Korea as coronavirus cases surge
The South has reported the largest number of cases in the world outside China and its total passed 6,000 on Thursday.
In his letter to President Moon Jae-in, Kim "conveyed his message of comfort to the South Korean people who are battling against the outbreak", said Yoon Do-han, a senior official at the presidential Blue House.
Kim said he was "worried" about Moon's own health, Yoon added, and "underlined his unwavering friendship and trust towards" Seoul.
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READ: Australia bans travellers from South Korea in bid to slow COVID-19
It was a marked contrast to the statement issued on Tuesday by Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong, one of his closest advisers, when she said Seoul's condemnation of military drills by the North was a "truly senseless act" and "perfectly foolish".
She likened it to "a frightened dog barking".
"Such incoherent assertion and actions made by Chongwadae only magnify our distrust, hatred and scorn for the south side as a whole," she added, referring to the Blue House.
On Monday, the nuclear-armed North fired what the South's military said appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles, which it is banned fRead More – Source
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a personal letter to "comfort" South Koreans fighting the COVID-19 epidemic just a day after his sister condemned Seoul as a "frightened dog barking", the South's presidential office said Thursday (Mar 5).
Pyongyang has imposed strict restrictions and closed its borders to try to prevent an outbreak and insists it has not had a single case of the novel coronavirus which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has since spread around the world.
Advertisement
Advertisement
READ: Thousands wait for hospital beds in South Korea as coronavirus cases surge
The South has reported the largest number of cases in the world outside China and its total passed 6,000 on Thursday.
In his letter to President Moon Jae-in, Kim "conveyed his message of comfort to the South Korean people who are battling against the outbreak", said Yoon Do-han, a senior official at the presidential Blue House.
Kim said he was "worried" about Moon's own health, Yoon added, and "underlined his unwavering friendship and trust towards" Seoul.
Advertisement
Advertisement
READ: Australia bans travellers from South Korea in bid to slow COVID-19
It was a marked contrast to the statement issued on Tuesday by Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong, one of his closest advisers, when she said Seoul's condemnation of military drills by the North was a "truly senseless act" and "perfectly foolish".
She likened it to "a frightened dog barking".
"Such incoherent assertion and actions made by Chongwadae only magnify our distrust, hatred and scorn for the south side as a whole," she added, referring to the Blue House.
On Monday, the nuclear-armed North fired what the South's military said appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles, which it is banned fRead More – Source
