South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Friday cooperation between the two Koreas on disaster management and disease prevention is key. File Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, July 10 (UPI) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Seoul should explore the option of providing North Korea with vaccines and antibiotics to prevent tuberculosis and rubella, and urged Kim Jong Un to learn from Iran and Cuba's détente with Washington.

Park made the statements at a meeting of civilian members of a presidential committee on unification on Friday. The Korea Herald reported Park said Seoul and Pyongyang must work together to face global challenges in public health and climate change.


"The two Koreas can contribute to making a...safer northeast Asia if they put their heads together for health and medical cooperation, set up a collaboration mechanism on disaster management with China, Japan, Russia, Mongolia and other neighbors and nurture the related labor force," Park said.

It is unclear, however, how North Korea is to respond to Park's call for easing of hostilities.

North Korea has previously called Park a lunatic, idiot and a "cold-blooded animal," and has demanded that Seoul cease cooperating with Washington in joint military drills.

South Korea also has sent mixed messages on plans for unification with the North.

Seoul has said it seeks peaceful unification, but in March a member of the presidential committee on unification said the group was considering a scenario in which unification occurs without Pyongyang's consent.

South Korean civic groups have denounced the remarks.

South Korean newspaper Maeil Business reported Park said the two Koreas should cooperate on the pressing issue of climate change. A severe drought has hit crop production in both countries – and North Korea has subsequently reduced state rations for its population.

The U.N. has said 2,500 North Koreans die annually from tuberculosis and the health crisis urgently needs to be addressed in the isolated country.