South Korea plans to carry out massive free tests for latent tuberculosis this year as part of efforts to cut the high incidence rate of the infectious disease in the country, officials said Wednesday (March 8).

South Korea's Unification Ministry has approved an application by the Eugene Bell Foundation Korea to send medication for tuberculosis to North Korea, a government official said Wednesday (January 18).

North Korea is being plagued by a widespread and difficult strain of tuberculosis and needs urgent measures to curb it, the chairman of a South Korean aid group said Monday.