North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a personal letter to “comfort” South Koreans fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic just a day after his sister condemned Seoul as a “frightened dog barking”, the South’s presidential office said yesterday. 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. The South has reported the largest number of cases in the world outside China and its total passed 6,000 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.

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”.