Unification Minister Lee In-young on Wednesday met with the head of a local aid organization and promised active support for their efforts to send humanitarian assistance to North Korea.

During the meeting with the leader of Korea NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea (KNCCK), Lee stressed that the ministry will continue to keep an eye on the coronavirus situation and make an overall assessment to resume humanitarian assistance.

"North Korea declared the 'highest level of alert' against the coronavirus and closed its borders, and we have yet to confirm whether it has opened the borders," he said.

Lee also expressed disappointment over Washington's failed attempt to reach out to Pyongyang in the beginning of the Joe Biden administration.

"We will continue to seek creative and new ways to move forward the Korean peace process in the current political situation," he said.

The council is an umbrella group of 55 nongovernmental organizations established to facilitate cooperation among NGOs assisting the North. (Yonhap)