A Chinese manufacturer of life-support machines donated over a million dollars worth of medical equipment to North Korea earlier this year, possibly explaining how its ventilators ended up in recently opened DPRK hospitals, NK News analysis suggests.

The China Asia Economic Development Association (CAEDA) and its member companies donated 12 million yuan ($1.68 million) worth of medical devices to North Korea earlier this year, according to the association.

10 million yuan ($1.4 million) of that total came from Beijing Aeonmed Co. Ltd., a major Chinese medical equipment manufacturer. Aeonmed’s flagship products include advanced ventilators under the AEONMED brand, which are