March 29, 2024
COVID-19

Why Omicron might finally change North Korea’s mind about vaccines

Kim Jong Un may continue to refuse aid offers, but former DPRK officials think Pyongyang outbreak changes the game

North Korea’s yearslong border restrictions to keep COVID-19 at bay appear to have finally failed, as state media reported Thursday that the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19 had reached Pyongyang.

After refusing multiple offers of support from outside countries and organizations since the pandemic began, analysts are divided on whether the DPRK will change its mind even as it battles an outbreak within its borders. 

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