North Korea to receive COVID medical supplies from WHO after 2 years of border closure

Almost after two years of ignorance of international medical supplies, the World Health Organisation on Wednesday said that the organisation shipped COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea. With the WHO's announcement, it implied that the Korean country has now started easing one of the world's strictest pandemic border closures to receive outside help. Notably, North Korea Supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, had closed its international borders about two years ago in order to secure the country from the strain of the deadly pandemic. It had also shut the borders for international trade that left the country's economy in crawling condition.

Meanwhile, the latest development came during WHO's weekly monitoring report in which the international public health organisation said it has begun exporting the consignment of vital COVID-19 pharmaceutical equipment through the Chinese port of Dalian for strategic stockpiling and further dispatch to North Korea. However, when the news agency Associated Press (AP) contacted the WHO officials for further clarifications, the latter denied revealing any details regarding the consignment. The news agency said that the WHO officials even denied revealing whether the consignment has reached North Korea or not. It is worth mentioning that the Supreme leader on several occasions bolstered the country's strict measures in dealing with the COVID virus. According to Un, he has managed to weed out the deadly pandemic from the country, however, experts widely doubt it escaped the illness that had touched nearly every other place in the world.

North Korea orders authorities to shoot trespassers who cross its borders

Earlier, he had ordered the authorities to shoot on sight any trespassers who cross its borders in violation of its pandemic closing. At that time, UN human rights investigators asked the government to clarify allegations, but the Korean government didn't respond to the letter.  According to WHO, the North has told the international health organisation that it had tested nearly forty thousand people for the COVID-19 till September 23, but none of them turned positive. Further, it said that the last week test revealed that more than ninety people suffering from influenza-like illnesses. 

Kim Jong-un ordered officials to carry out a tougher epidemic prevention campaign in "our style"

According to the health experts, despite invoking strict measures to control COVID-19, the North's Supreme Leader has not shown interest in the mass immunisation program. UNICEF, which procures and delivers vaccines on behalf of the COVAX distribution program, said last month that North proposed its allotment of about 3 million Sinovac shots be sent to severely affected countries instead. After rejecting several imported COVID vaccine doses, supplied through an UN-backed immunisation programme, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to carry out a tougher epidemic prevention campaign in "our style."

With inputs from AP

Image: AP