UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) are preparing to send delegations to visit North Korea in November, multiple informed sources have told NK News, marking the first time international staff from the two agencies will enter since the pandemic began.

The visit represents a potential breakthrough in humanitarian access to the isolated nation, which has barred international staff from U.N. organizations from reentering the country since they left due to COVID-19 restrictions in early 2021. 

The forthcoming mission is linked to activities by the GAVI vaccine alliance, according to one source. The two agencies declined to comment on