"North Korea Refuses AZ Vaccine Over Side Effect Concerns... Considers 'Vaccine Donation' as Inter-Korean Cooperation Card"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] It has been revealed that North Korea is refusing to accept the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine, which was scheduled to be introduced through COVAX, due to concerns about side effects. North Korea is also passive about introducing Chinese and Russian vaccines, leading to suggestions that vaccine provision could be considered as a South-North cooperation card in the future.

The Korea Institute for National Unification stated at a press briefing held on the 9th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul under the theme "North Korea Situation Briefing: Issues and Focus," "North Korea is pursuing the introduction of overseas COVID-19 vaccines, but it is observed that there is currently no secured supply."

The institute reported, "North Korea is refusing to accept the AZ vaccine, which was scheduled to be introduced through COVAX, due to concerns about side effects, and is exploring the possibility of substituting it with other vaccines." The international vaccine cooperation body COVAX was scheduled to deliver 1.7 million doses of the AZ vaccine to North Korea by May, but supply has been delayed as North Korea refused the entry of relief workers for vaccine delivery. Although North Korea is included in the recipients of 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccines donated by the U.S. to low-income countries, there has been no progress in introduction.

Meanwhile, North Korea appears to be passive about introducing Chinese and Russian vaccines. The institute stated, "North Korea hesitates to introduce Chinese vaccines due to distrust, and while it evaluates Russian vaccines positively, it seems to demand free support," adding, "Since support through COVAX alone cannot secure the quantity North Korea needs, vaccine provision could be considered as a South-North cooperation card."

With the upcoming South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises scheduled for August, regarding whether North Korea will engage in military demonstrations, the institute said, "It is expected that the level of military demonstrations will be adjusted according to the scale of the South Korea-U.S. joint exercises," adding, "If exercises of a scale similar to the first half of the year are conducted, it will likely be limited to short-range missile launches, but if normal-scale exercises are conducted, there is a possibility of launching submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) using solid fuel."

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