Photo/Illutration A health worker takes a swab from a man’s mouth during a test for the new coronavirus in Seoul on March 20. Part of the picture is modified for privacy.  (Takeshi Kamiya)

SEOUL--If Japan asks South Korea for assistance in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, the administration of Moon Jae-in is considering complying, including sending test kits and face masks.

Sources within the administration, including a senior official, said South Korean officials may sell the kits and other assistance to Japan or even provide them at no charge.

But the administration will do so only at the Japanese government’s request, given anti-Japan sentiment among the South Korean public due to Tokyo’s trade restrictions with Seoul.

The Moon administration believes that demands for broader testing will heighten in Japan as a growing number of new cases are confirmed, according to the sources.

Seoul has sounded out a teleconference between public health authorities between the two countries to ascertain Japan’s position on possible assistance from South Korea.

It is eyeing providing face masks and sending a medical team to Japan, in addition to test kits, the sources said.

The country is hoping that its gesture will help improve strained bilateral relations, which have hit a postwar low in recent years over longstanding differences on historical issues.

South Korea, with a population of 52 million, has conducted more than 950,000 tests since the coronavirus outbreak, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare.

In Japan, the number of tests performed was about 221,000 among a population of 126 million as of April 23, according to data from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Before test kits from South Korea become available in Japan, they need to be approved for use by the Japanese government.

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