[New Tang Dynasty Beijing time July 06, 2021]North Korea may encounter major setbacks in the war against the epidemic. So far, North Korea has claimed that there are no cases of COVID-19 infection in the country, but experts generally doubt this statement. . Recently, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang stated that in view of the stagnation of North Korea’s vaccine promotion plan, Moscow has decided to evacuate Russian citizens from North Korea.
The Russian delegation to North Korea said on Facebook on Monday (5th) that a large number of Russian citizens have left, citing the internal situation in North Korea related to the Chinese Communist virus.
“On July 2, many of our colleagues and friends returned to their home country.” The Russian embassy official said that some diplomats, doctors and technicians have left, and schools and kindergartens have been closed.
“The Russian town in the center of Pyongyang… has become quieter,” the statement said. “However, the work of the diplomatic mission has not stopped, and we will continue to solve the tasks entrusted to us.”
The Russian Embassy did not disclose the specific number of departures. According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, last Friday, about 90 Russian citizens left North Korea through the land border between the two countries.
The Russian Embassy emphasized that since the North Korean leadership established strict self-isolation, the border of entry has been strictly blocked, so the rotation of Russian staff in North Korea has not been carried out for nearly two years. Everyone whose contract expired was forced to leave North Korea.
At the Politburo meeting in June, Kim Jong-un criticized senior officials for their incompetence, irresponsibility, and passive sabotage in planning and implementing anti-virus measures. That month, the World Health Organization (WHO) cited data from the Pyongyang authorities to report that North Korea had “severe acute respiratory infections.”
The Chinese Communist Pneumonia Vaccine Implementation Plan (COVAX), supported by the United Nations, planned in February that in the first half of this year, North Korea could receive 1.9 million doses of vaccine, but the plan was postponed due to a global shortage of vaccines.
As negotiations with COVAX may be deadlocked, North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed on Tuesday that humanitarian assistance interfered with its national sovereignty and should never be tolerated.
According to a report from the South Korean branch of the Voice of America on Sunday, the Kim Jong Un regime refused to allow international health workers to enter the country for vaccine distribution, which is a requirement of the World Health Organization’s COVAX mechanism. Regarding the ongoing negotiations between COVAX and Pyongyang, a source familiar with the situation said that North Korea has only completed “2 of the 7 administrative procedures required to supply vaccines.”
The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that aid and cooperation are like “throwing a bait” and a prelude to “political reform” aimed at North Korea. But North Korea often accepts foreign aid to overcome food shortages and health crises.
Although Kim Jong-un described the food situation as “tension” at the June political meeting, he called on officials to prepare for long-term restrictions, indicating that he is not prepared to open the border anytime soon. Some analysts even believe that the obese ruler has recently apparently “wasted”, partly because it is to divert the anger of the North Koreans who have not eaten enough.
(Reporter Li Zhaoxi Comprehensive Report/Editor in Charge: Li Jia)
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