North Korea has purchased Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine and Chinese diagnostic equipment, including thermographs, Japan’s Asahi newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The price tag of the contract and the volume of the vaccine's batch are unknown. Some members of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea were given the jab, the newspaper reported, citing sources in South Korean intelligence and Chinese business circles engaged in trade relations with North Korea.
There is no data on whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been inoculated with the vaccine. Most likely, this will happen once the vaccine’s full safety is confirmed.
As for thermographs, they were installed on the border between China and North Korea with the goal of gradually resuming economic activity between the two countries.
According to official data, no cases of the novel coronavirus infection have been recorded in North Korea. Since late January, the North Korean authorities have introduced urgent measures on preventing the spread of the disease, including closing borders, shutting down schools and imposing a nationwide lockdown.
