Vaccine doses for 600,000 children and pregnant women flown to North Korea

Delivery of first medical aid since Covid raises hopes that country could open up again to UN and aid agencies

More than 4 million vaccine doses have been flown to Pyongyang, raising hopes that North Korea could open up again to UN agencies and NGOs amid reports of a worsening health situation in the authoritarian state.

“The return of essential vaccines marks a significant milestone towards safeguarding children’s health and survival in this country,” Roland Kupka, Unicef’s acting representative for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, said in a statement.