Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, archbishop of Seoul, sent a letter of condolences to Japan and Ecuador that have recently hit by a strong earthquake, the Seoul Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church said on Monday.

In the letter, Cardinal Yeom said "we are deeply saddened by the news that the earthquake took many lives. We share your sorrow and pain and will continue our interest and prayer."

The letter has been relayed to each archdiocese in Fukuoka in Japan and Esmeraldas in Ecuador, which cover the respective disaster-stricken areas. (Yonhap)