North and South Korea trade accusations over MERS outbreak

North Korea and South Korea were involved Monday in a disagreement as they made severe accusations on one another regarding the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome or coronavirus (MERS) outbreak in South Korea.

Seoul fiercely condemned Pyongyang’s attacks on the South Korean government over its inability to tackle the spread of the disease.

North Korea criticized South Korean President Park Geunhye and her cabinet for “corruption and incompetence” over the MERS outbreak which has now become a serious health crisis in the country.

Pyongyang’s comments came after Seoul’s broadcaster KBS reported that North Korea sent computer viruses through emails claiming to bear MERSrelated news.

North Korea claimed that South Korea was making accusations on the Kim Jongun regime as a tactic to shirk responsibility over criticism for the outbreak, North Korean statecontrolled KCNA agency reported on Sunday.

“We condemn (North Korea) for their severe criticism of our president and government, and for underestimating our efforts to tackle MERS,” a spokesperson from Seoul’s Unification Ministry said at a press conference.

The MERS outbreak has already caused 16 deaths and 150 infections in South Korea since May.

Sections of the South Korean society have strongly criticized the government for not making sufficient efforts to contain the outbreak.

On the other hand, bilateral relations between the two Koreas are going through a tense period marked by disagreements and crossaccusations since the beginning of the year.