About the Author
Jeongmin Kim
Jeongmin Kim is a correspondent at NK News, based in Seoul. She previously worked for the CSIS Korea Chair and in the Seoul bureau of Reuters news agency. Follow her on Twitter @jeongminnkim
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has received an exemption from international sanctions from the UN, an official told NK News on Monday, allowing the organization to ship vital equipment needed in the fight against coronavirus to North Korea.
The exemption request was submitted last Tuesday and approved on Friday, Richard Blewitt, who serves as permanent observer to the UN for the IFRC, said, describing it as “a quick turn around.”
All of the shipments will be made by air, a letter confirming the exemption showed, and will also see the IFRC provide, among other items, one RT-PCR diagnostic machine, 10,000 test kits (RT-PCR reagents), 10,000 pairs of examination gloves of different sizes, 4000 surgical masks, and 200 medical gowns.
The organization will provide N95, FFP2 Medical, and surgical masks, with “high fluid resistance, good breathability… with structured design that does not collapse against the mouth (e.g. duckbill, cup-shaped),” the letter added.
The gowns are single-use, fluid-resistant, and disposable, it continued.
North Korea has continued to claim that no cases of the novel coronavirus have been detected in its territory, and has largely shut its borders in the face of the potential threat from the epidemic.
Under effective house arrest, diplomats based in the DPRK capital are for the most part unable to venture outside their compounds or leave the country, while North Korean media and officials have repeatedly emphasized the threat that the virus poses to the country’s national security.
Cases of the virus soared in neighboring South Korea over the weekend, raising further questions about the reliability of North Korea’s claims that the virus is yet to appear in its territory.
And in the face of U.S. concerns about North Korea’s “vulnerability” to a coronavirus outbreak, the international community in the last week moved to help the country procure equipment needed to prevent and respond to a potential epidemic.
The recent exemption came in response to a request “from DPRK Red Cross and Ministry of Health,” IFRC permanent observer Richard Blewitt explained Monday.
The organization “hope to procure as and deliver as soon as possible,” he told NK News, adding that a detailed schedule for the delivery is not yet known.
Edited by Oliver Hotham
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has received an exemption from international sanctions from the UN, an official told NK News on Monday, allowing the organization to ship vital equipment needed in the fight against coronavirus to North Korea.
The exemption request was submitted last Tuesday and approved on Friday, Richard Blewitt, who serves as permanent observer to the UN for the IFRC, said, describing it as "a quick turn around."
Jeongmin Kim is a correspondent at NK News, based in Seoul. She previously worked for the CSIS Korea Chair and in the Seoul bureau of Reuters news agency. Follow her on Twitter @jeongminnkim
Specialist news and analysis,
research tools, and unique data sets
Internet Explorer is not compatible with this website. We instead recommend using Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
Microsoft ceased supporting IE 10 and older in 2016.
In addition, Microsoft cyber-security chief Chris Jackson has been urging users to stop using the browser since February 2019.
Join the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reporting
Learn MoreEnter your details below
Don't have an account? SIGN UP
Join the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reporting
Learn MoreAlready have an account? SIGN IN
Join the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reporting
Learn MorePlease enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.
Don't have an account? SIGN UP