The last time Ken Eom managed to speak with his family in North Korea, they did not seem particularly worried about contracting the coronavirus. "The government told them there was no coronavirus in North Korea, so they believed that," he told DW. Youngchang Song, a member of the Seoul-based Worldwide Coalition to Stop Genocide in North Korea, said he is hearing similar stories from more defectors. "But just because North Korea has confirmed infections doesn't mean it will come hat-in-hand to the international community. "Even if the regime finally prioritizes people's lives over imagined security concerns surrounding international aid, North Korean political and logistical hurdles will make expedited vaccine deliveries difficult."

Source: The North Africa Journal May 24, 2022 07:10 UTC