The unification ministry says South and North Korea conducted their regular morning contact via their liaison hotline at 9 a.m. on Tuesday but neither side mentioned Seoul’s proposal to Pyongyang on COVID-19 assistance.

A ministry official said the North hung up shortly after routinely notifying the South of the start of contact duties.

The North has yet to respond to Seoul’s proposal to hold a working-level meeting to discuss the provision of medical supplies and other COVID-19 equipment as well as expertise learned from the South's quarantine experience.

Seoul had made the proposal in messages sent via the liaison hotline on Monday morning and afternoon.

The proposal – offering supplies including vaccines, medication, testing kits and masks – was sent by South Korea's unification minister Kwon Young-se, and addressed to Kim Yong-chol, the North's head of its inter-Korean affairs department.

A senior official at the unification ministry earlier told reporters on Monday that it would be desirable to wait for an answer rather than press the North for a response.