"North Korea Requests COVID-19 Vaccines from International Organizations"…Supply Possible as Early as First Half of the Year

WSJ "Request for Support to Global Vaccine Alliance"
Lee In-young Previously Stated, "True Sharing Is Sharing When There Is a Shortage"

Rodong Sinmun introduced the reactions from various sectors of North Korean residents who received the handwritten New Year's card sent by Chairman Kim Jong Un on the 1st, on the 3rd. The photo shows residents at the Central District People's Committee in Pyongyang, each holding and reading the newspaper containing the handwritten New Year's card while wearing masks.

North Korea has reportedly requested support for COVID-19 vaccines from the non-governmental organization Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), according to the US Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 4th (local time). Gavi is an international organization leading the 'COVAX' initiative, which aims to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries that face difficulties in developing or purchasing vaccines on their own.

Last month, the organization announced that 86 out of 92 low-income countries eligible for the 'COVAX Advance Market Commitment' (COVAX AMC), which supplies vaccines to developing countries funded by donations from developed countries, had submitted vaccine applications.

North Korea is also one of the eligible recipient countries. However, a Gavi spokesperson did not disclose whether North Korea had applied for vaccines, stating to WSJ, "We are calculating vaccine demand from each country and will provide new information soon."

If North Korea has applied for vaccine support from Gavi, some vaccines could be provided as early as this spring.

The Gavi spokesperson’s office stated, "In the first quarter of this year, a sufficient amount of vaccines will be initially delivered to healthcare and social welfare workers, and vaccines will be supplied to all applicant countries within the first half of the year."

It is also known that North Korea recently inquired about vaccine procurement methods with several European countries' embassies over the past few weeks. However, Canada, which pledged about $59 million to COVAX, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 4th that "we have not received any requests for COVID-19 vaccine support from North Korea."

North Korea claims that no COVID-19 cases have been confirmed within its borders and is conducting an emergency epidemic prevention campaign. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in January last year, North Korea has implemented some of the world's strictest quarantine measures, including closing its borders at the earliest stage.

However, these measures have completely cut off foreign currency income sources such as trade, overseas dispatch of workers, and tourism, causing severe damage to the North Korean economy. There are also voices proposing vaccine support for North Korea to reverse inter-Korean relations and change the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Minister of Unification Lee In-young said in an interview with KBS on November 18 last year, "If we can cooperate with each other on (COVID-19) treatments and vaccines, it would be an opportunity for the North to somewhat escape the economic sacrifices made due to the quarantine system," adding, "I believe that sharing together when resources are scarce is the truest form of sharing."

Lee In-young, Minister of Unification, has repeatedly expressed his position through media interviews that COVID-19 vaccines and treatments should be provided to North Korea.

In an interview with KBS in November last year, Minister Lee said, "If we can cooperate with treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, it could be an opportunity for the North to somewhat escape the economic sacrifices caused by the quarantine system," adding, "I think sharing when there is a shortage is the real way to share."

On December 22, during an online talk concert with '2030 Youth,' Minister Lee reaffirmed his stance on vaccine sharing, saying, "If more COVID-19 treatments and vaccines are developed and distributed someday, it would be good to share and cooperate to end the COVID-19 situation on the Korean Peninsula."

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