The South Korean government on Friday approved a request by a non-governmental organization to make contact with North Koreans, the first since the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in government earlier in the month.

The Korean Sharing Movement (KSM) will be allowed to make contact with the North Korean side to discuss a project aimed at preventing malaria outbreak in the inter-Korean border region.

The Ministry of Unification (MOU) said the request was accepted because of the “urgency of controlling infectious disease and the health of South and North Korean residents in the border areas.”

Under South Korean law citizens much get permission from