hankyoreh

The Institute for National Security Strategy, a South Korean think tank under the National Intelligence Service, holds a press conference about North Korean affairs at the Four Seasons Hotel, in Seoul, on July 9. (Lee Je-hun/The Hankyoreh)

North Korea “refused to accept the supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine it had been allotted by COVAX because of potential side effects and is exploring the possibility of replacing that with another vaccine,” the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS) said on July 9. The INSS is the think tank of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).

INSS made the remarks at a press conference about North Korean affairs at the Four Seasons Hotel, in Seoul, on July 9.

“According to our observations, North Korea is seeking to acquire COVID-19 vaccine from overseas but hasn’t received any doses so far,” INSS said.

COVAX allocated 1,992,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for North Korea in March as part of an international cooperative project to jointly purchase and distribute the vaccine. COVAX was reportedly planning to deliver 1,704,000 of those doses by May but hasn’t done so yet.

“The North Korean authorities and COVAX are still in deliberation. What we understand is that some of the documents needed for supplying the vaccine haven’t been submitted yet and that procedural deliberations [about supplying and administering the vaccine] haven’t wrapped up either,” South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said.

INSS’ remarks on Friday demonstrate that the prolongation of the deliberations between the North Korean authorities and COVAX isn’t merely about procedural issues but also concerns a disagreement about the type of the vaccine.

“The North Koreans are hesitant to adopt the Chinese vaccine because of doubts [about its effectiveness]. They’re more positive about the Russian vaccine but want it provided free of charge,” the INSS said. Pyongyang and Moscow are apparently struggling to reach a deal because the Russians expected to be paid for supplying the vaccine.

“North Koreans who are residing overseas, including trade officials and diplomats, have apparently been getting vaccinated in various countries [China and Russia] on their own initiative with the permission of the North Korean government,” the INSS said.

On July 8, the NIS reported to the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee that it hadn’t detected “any signs of North Korea suffering a major outbreak of COVID-19 or acquiring vaccines.”

“The NIS reported that there are currently no vaccines and no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in North Korea,” said Ha Tae-keung, the ranking member of the People Power Party on the Intelligence Committee.

The INSS also said that North Korea’s food supply is running low, noting that the North “has a shortfall of more than 1 million tons relative to the amount it needs this year [5.5 million tons].”

“North Korea’s cereal output last year [4 million tons] was about 5% less than the previous year, and the North halted imports from overseas in October 2020,” the INSS said. That’s when the North closed its borders to prevent the influx of COVID-19.

“The suspension of trade and ban on work because of COVID-19 has caused many families to run out of food in the border and coastal regions. Food ran out as early as late January for some families, who are forced to wait until the potato and corn harvest in September,” the INSS said.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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