North Korea purchased the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, as well as Chinese diagnostic equipment, including thermographs. Sources in South Korean intelligence and Chinese business told the Japanese newspaper Asahi about this.
The amount of the contract and the volume of the batch of the drug are unknown. Thermographs were installed on the border between China and the DPRK with the aim of gradually resuming economic activity between the countries.
It is noted that the Russian drug began to be selectively administered to representatives of the Labor Party of Korea. The vaccination of the DPRK leader Kim Jong-un has not yet been reported. North Korea intends to fully ensure the safety of the substance before the country's top leader is vaccinated.
In late November, South Korea complained that Pyongyang had tried to steal the development of a coronavirus vaccine. According to the country's intelligence, North Korea launched an attack on a pharmaceutical company.
At the end of July, Minister of Reunification of South and North Korea Lee In Young announced that Seoul is ready to cooperate with Pyongyang to fight the coronavirus infection. He expressed concern about the possible appearance of infection in Kaesong city on the border between the countries. However, North Korea has regularly stressed that it does not need external assistance. The country allegedly did not have a single case of coronavirus infection during the entire pandemic, and the suspicion of its presence was observed only once.
