Ministry of Unification: "No Consultation Yet with Health Authorities on Vaccines for North Korea Support"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The government stated that the Ministry of Unification has not yet discussed the quantity of COVID-19 vaccines to be supplied for aid to North Korea in relation to the contract for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) vaccine.

On the same day, a Ministry of Unification official responded to reporters' questions about whether the quantity to be supported to North Korea was considered in the government's COVID-19 vaccine supply contract by saying, "We have not yet had specific consultations with the health authorities."

The government has signed a supply contract with AstraZeneca, which developed the COVID-19 vaccine, and plans to announce the total secured vaccine quantity once negotiations with other vaccine developers are finalized.

Regarding North Korea's recent economic situation, the official said, "Considering North Korea's external dependence on China, it is natural to view the North Korean economy as being in a very difficult state due to the near cessation of trade with China."

He added, "In October, the trade volume between North Korea and China was 1.7 million dollars, a 99.4% decrease compared to 290 million dollars during the same period last year," citing statistics from China's customs authority, the General Administration of Customs.

Furthermore, he noted, "Since March this year, the trade volume between North Korea and China has not exceeded 100 million dollars and dropped to about 2 million dollars in October, indicating that North Korea's economy is in a very difficult state."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.