North Korea Hits With COVID-19 Outbreak: South Korea Wants To Help, United States Supports

JAKARTA - The North Korean government is being called on to accept aid that can save lives, help protect the economy and possibly lead to a diplomatic opening when the COVID-19 outbreak hits without an adequate vaccination program.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's office said on Friday it intends to help North Korea, including by providing a vaccine, while specific steps will be discussed with Pyongyang.

North Korea is not known to have imported or administered any COVID-19 vaccine and is one of only two countries that has not started a vaccination campaign.

As of Thursday's report by state news agency KCNA, North Korea had never previously reported a confirmed case of the COVID-19 disease.

His unexpected admission of infections "exploding" across the country led some observers to hope that Pyongyang would receive a vaccine soon.

"Revealing the outbreak via KCNA, which is the main channel for external communication, shows North Korea can seek vaccine support", said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

"Lockdowns and tight controls are not enough to tackle the crisis without a vaccine."

Other analysts say it remains unclear whether North Korea's stance is softening, and that there are many hurdles with geopolitical implications.

Some analysts argue that vaccine diplomacy with North Korea could ease tensions in other areas, such as the country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

"If inter-Korean cooperation really takes place, it will help ease military tensions and reopen talks, potentially leading to humanitarian exchanges, such as reunions of separated families", said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Sejong Institute's North Korea studies center in North Korea. South Korea.

However, the politicization of aid may also be the main reason why North Korea is hesitant to accept it.

Pyongyang may be more likely to reach out to its ally in Beijing first, Cheong said, although Pyongyang had previously rejected an offer of 3 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from China's Sinovac Biotech.

"If the situation gets out of control, it will be difficult to refuse Western support", he said.

Authorities in Pyongyang appear suspicious they will only get a limited amount of the vaccine and are then under pressure to receive more, the UN's independent human rights investigator said in February.

Meanwhile, South Korean officials say North Korea does not want the Anglo-Swedish Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccines, preferring the US-made Moderna and Pfizer. Talks with the global COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme have stalled, as Pyongyang refuses to agree to restitution caused by side effects.

"But that was before the outbreak, and now they are in a state of emergency", Kwon Young-se, South Korea's nominee to become the unification minister in charge of inter-Korean relations, said at a parliamentary confirmation hearing on Thursday.

If North Korea accepts, the international COVAX vaccine distribution program could deliver a dose that would allow the country to meet international immunization targets, said a spokesman for Gavi, the charity that helps operate the program.

Separately, Thae Young-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who is now a member of South Korea's Parliament, called on President Yoon to seek temporary sanctions exemptions during his upcoming summit with US President Joe Biden to allow shipments of fuel and power plants to the North.

"Everyone talks about vaccine support, but North Korea doesn't have the infrastructure to store vaccines in cold storage or the energy to maintain the system. It's like giving rice to households that don't have stoves and firewood", he explained.

Washington said Thursday it supports providing aid to North Korea but has no current plans for sharing a vaccine.

"We urge the DPRK to work with the international community to facilitate the rapid vaccination of its population", a US State Department spokesman told Reuters, using the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

As previously reported, at least one person confirmed to have COVID-19 has died in North Korea, with hundreds of thousands having shown symptoms of fever, state media said on Friday.

Some 187,800 people are being treated in isolation after a fever of unknown origin has spread explosively across the country since late April, the official KCNA news agency said. About 350,000 people have shown signs of the fever, including 18,000 who only reported the symptoms on Thursday, KCNA said. Meanwhile, around 162,200 have been treated but did not specify how many have tested positive for COVID-19.