N. Korea asks Korean Red Cross to offer medical supplies

North Korea has asked the Korean Red Cross to provide medical goods to be used for containing contagious diseases, the new head of the agency said Monday.

"North Korea has requested the Korean Red Cross to support medical products to prevent the spread of contagious diseases," Kim Sung-joo told lawmakers at a parliamentary audit of the agency.

Although Pyongyang has banned foreign tourists from entering the communist country since late last week as part of its stepped-up efforts to prevent an outbreak of Ebola in the nation, Kim said the medical supplies in request were not specifically targeted for Ebola.

Kim, a former aide to President Park Geun-hye, was named as the head of the Korean Red Cross in late September for a three-year stint, sparking controversy about cronyism due to a lack of expertise and qualifications.

The 58-year-old Kim, chairwoman of the fashion company Sungjoo Group, apologized to lawmakers for skipping the parliamentary audit Thursday, citing her attendance to an international conference in China.

"I am deeply sorry to the public for causing concerns and discomforts," she said.

Kim was a co-head of the election polling committee for Park when she was running for the presidency in 2012.

The Korean Red Cross' role includes arranging inter-Korean reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War as well as resolving other human rights issues with North Korea. (Yonhap)