Advertisement

Updated September 4th, 2021 at 06:33 IST

North Korea's Kim Jong Un vows to battle COVID in 'our style', rejects foreign vaccines

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had previously warned the country's citizens to expect long-term COVID-19 restrictions, including those on cross-border travel

Reported by: Srishti Goel
Kim Jong Un
Image: AP/Pixabay | Image:self
Advertisement

After rejecting several imported COVID vaccine doses, supplied through a UN-backed immunisation programme, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered officials to carry out a tougher epidemic prevention campaign in "our style."

"Officials must bear in mind that tightening epidemic prevention is the task of paramount importance which must not be loosened even a moment," Kim stated during a politburo meeting on Thursday, according to North Korean media.

We will fight COVID-19 in 'our style': Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un urged for "further rounding off our style epidemic prevention system" while emphasising the necessity for material and technical means of coronavirus prevention as well as increased health professional credentials.

Kim has previously warned North Koreans to expect long-term COVID-19 restrictions, implying that the country's borders will remain blocked despite worsening economic and food conditions. North Korea has implemented strict quarantines and border restrictions to prevent pandemic outbreaks from the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

North Korea asked that its allotment of around 3 million Sinovac injections be transferred to badly impacted nations instead, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which procures and distributes vaccines on behalf of the COVAX distribution programme. North Korea's health ministry has announced it will continue to speak with COVAX about future vaccines, according to UNICEF.

COVID situation in North Korea

Some experts believe North Korea may seek alternate vaccines, while others dispute Sinovac's effectiveness given the uncommon blood clots detected in some AstraZeneca vaccine recipients. North Korea is likely to obtain more powerful COVAX shots and then carefully allocate them domestically, according to Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Seoul's Ewha Woman's University.

Pyongyang appears to be having legal troubles with COVAX, as well as distribution reporting requirements. As a result, it may order vaccines from China to send to border regions and military, while assigning COVAX doses to less vulnerable populations, Easley explained.

"The Kim regime is undoubtedly looking for the safest and most effective vaccination for the elite, but administering Pfizer would necessitate increased cold chain capabilities in Pyongyang and at the very least secret talks with the US. Given the vaccine's mobility and one-shot protocol, the (Johnson & Johnson) alternative could also be valuable to North Korea," he added.

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP/Pixabay)

Advertisement

Published September 4th, 2021 at 06:33 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo