JAKARTA - North Korea has reportedly turned to China and Russia for help amid a spike in COVID-19 cases, which may be the worst health disaster in decades.
After refusing to accept offers of assistance from South Korea and international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), North Korea appears to have turned to its main allies, China and Russia, while keeping its requests for help secret.
According to South Korean broadcaster YTN, China is preparing to send doctors, nurses and medical supplies "'in large quantities' to North Korea as early as this week, the Korea Times reported May 18.
This comes after reports said North Korea had begun bringing in emergency supplies from China on three large Air Koryo cargo planes.
In a media release Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov held a meeting with North Korean Ambassador to Moscow Shin Hong-chul.
The aim is to discuss various issues of cooperation between the two countries, including the response to the spread of COVID-19. But the ministry did not disclose details.
Following news of North Korea's first coronavirus case last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia, which is developing the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, would quickly respond to requests for vaccine support from North Korea.
Asked about possible COVID support plans for North Korea by the Korea Times Tuesday, press officials at the Chinese and Russian embassies in Seoul declined to respond.
As of Wednesday, North Korea reported 232,880 cases of fever and six additional deaths. In just six days, the total number of cases surpassed 1.72 million, with 62 deaths and at least 691,170 people still in quarantine.
Separately, Mike Ryan, the WHO's emergencies director, warned Tuesday that the North Korean situation could give rise to a new variant of the coronavirus.
"WHO has repeatedly said, where you have uncontrolled transmission, there is always a higher risk of a new variant emerging," explained Mike Ryan.
"Of course it is worrying if the state does not use the tools that are now available," he said.
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