UN human rights agency calls on North Korea to open borders to COVID-19 aid | NK News
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October 17, 2026Oct 17, 2026

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UN human rights agency calls on North Korea to open borders to COVID-19 aid

Lack of national vaccination program could have ‘devastating impact’ on the DPRK’s human rights situation, OHCHR says

The absence of a vaccination program in North Korea could have a “devastating” impact on the country’s already dismal human rights situation, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement on Wednesday.

Pointing to the country’s “very limited healthcare infrastructure,” the OHCHR encouraged North Korea to “discuss with the U.N. the opening of channels for humanitarian support, including medicines, vaccines, equipment, and other life-saving support.”

The World Health Organization has already offered North Korea millions of vaccines through COVAX, and South Korea and Chinahave signaled they will help the