There are no indications that there are cases of the new coronavirus in North Korea, a World Health Organization official said, despite South Korean media reports suggesting the outbreak had spread to the isolated country.

"At the moment there are no signals, there are no indications we are dealing with any COVID-19 there," Dr. Mike Ryan, head of WHO's emergencies program, told a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus.