According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on December 1, Harry Kazija, director of the Korean Studies Center of the National Interest Institute, an American think tank, said on November 30 local time that Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the DPRK, had recently been vaccinated against COVID-19 provided by China.Reuters also reported the news. 同じ日に, Kazija Nice published an article on the national security theme website “1945”, quoting two Japanese officials in charge of intelligence affairs, saying that Kim Jong-un’s family and a large number of senior North Korean officials had been vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccines provided by China in the last two or three weeks. しかし, it is not known which Chinese company produces these vaccines.
Kazija Nice introduced in the article that at least three Chinese companies are developing SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, including Sinovac Biotech Ltd, CanSinoBio and Sinophram Group. If China becomes the world’s largest vaccine producer, it is not unexpected to supply vaccines to North Korea from a historical perspective. 加えて, Kazija Nice said that the research and development speed of COVID-19 vaccine in China is amazing. He believes that in order to prevent political instability and refugee flows in North Korea, it is very likely that China will provide COVID-19 vaccine to all North Korean residents.
According to the latest report released by WHO, as of October 29th, あった 6,173 suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in North Korea, 合計で 32,182 isolated persons and 12,072 people receiving nucleic acid testing. ここのところ, no confirmed cases have been reported. Although it keeps a record of zero diagnosis, North Korea remains highly vigilant in epidemic prevention. The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 29th that North Korea has greatly strengthened the blockade and control of border areas such as the military demarcation line and the maritime demarcation line between the two Koreas, so as to prevent the influx of COVID-19 epidemic. Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea, pointed out in a previous article that it is better to blockade the country and stick to it. According to the article, the second wave of epidemic occurred in many countries around the world, and the situation of prevention and control deteriorated further. “If we don’t have the courage to fight, the fate of the motherland and the people will suffer from the disease.”
In July this year, according to the news of North Korea Future Science and Technology Network, North Korea has developed a candidate vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, which will be put into clinical trial in the same month. It is reported that vaccine development should be led by the Institute of Medical Biology of the Korean National Academy of Sciences. Reports show that the immunity and safety of candidate vaccines have been confirmed through animal experiments, and clinical trials will begin in July. Since there are no confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 in North Korea, scientists are discussing how to carry out the third phase of clinical trials. しかし, there is no follow-up report on the development of the vaccine.
