[INTERVIEW] Pyongyang elite won't get COVID-19 vaccine shots, says ex-NK doctor

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during a ruling party Politburo meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, Saturday. North Korea may have started considering vaccinating the population against COVID-19, but Kim and the powerful elite close to him almost certainly did not get the shots and likely never will, says a former doctor from North Korea. AP-Yonhap

Intelligence agency believes Kim remains unvaccinated over side effect worries

By Jung Min-ho

North Korea may have started considering vaccinating its population against COVID-19, but leader Kim Jong-un and the powerful elite close to him almost certainly have not gotten the shots and probably never will, says a former doctor from North Korea.

Several days after its first official coronavirus case, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party, reported May 17 that vaccines are "effective" ― a drastic change in its stance from previously being "not a solution" with "serious side effects."

"There is no reason that he would take on even a tiny risk of vaccine side effects," Choi Jung-hoon, 47, a former infectious disease doctor from North Korea, said during a recent interview. "Unlike politicians in the free world, Kim has absolute control over whom he meets and where he goes; before he arrives, the areas are cleaned and disinfected impeccably. If he wants, he does not have to meet anyone while ruling the country."

His view echoes the assessment of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). According to the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, the intelligence agency reported on May 19 to the National Assembly that Kim remained unvaccinated out of "concern for side effects."

"But there have been reports that the North started vaccinating its soldiers at the northern border ... I think vaccination will expand first to the elderly and more as the North explores how effective it is," he said. "One thing I can say is that the North will never receive vaccines from countries it considers enemies. It will take vaccines from China and Russia. My guess is that the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V, which appears to be more effective, will be more widely used."

A sign is seen on a street closed to traffic, amid growing fears over the spread of COVID-19 in Pyongyang, North Korea, May 18. Reuters-Yonhap

The Ministry of Unification contacted North Korea on May 16 to offer health support, including vaccines, but the North has remained unresponsive. At a press conference after his summit with President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. President Joe Biden also said Saturday that the North did not respond to his country's vaccine offer.

On Sunday, North Korea reported more than 186,000 new cases of fever and one additional death. The total caseload had surpassed 2.64 million, with 67 deaths, as of 6 p.m. Saturday. The fatality rate, based on the numbers, is about 0.0025 percent ― significantly lower than South Korea's 0.13 percent.

"The numbers, as they have always been since the global pandemic, are not real. I think the purpose of revealing the numbers is to use them as grounds for the regime's 'success' in comparison to other countries," Choi said.

During Saturday's ruling Workers' Party meeting, Kim insisted that the country was starting to get the situation under control and called on officials to stay vigilant.

However, the grim public health reality inside North Korea ― that its population is mostly unvaccinated with few health resources available to them ― suggests that the outbreak may bring dire consequences.

"Throughout my medical career there, I never saw any patient using a mechanical ventilator except in very few cases involving children," Choi said. "Antibody infusion treatment is not available for ordinary people but only for the rich. In rural areas, medical tools such as syringes are reused … I don't even think that everyone has his or her own mask."

Choi Jung-hoon, a former infectious disease doctor from North Korea, poses during a recent interview with The Korea Times at Freedom Speakers International's office in Seoul. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho

Who is Choi Jung-hoon?

Choi was born in 1974 in Chongjin, North Korea's third biggest city and the capital of North Hamgyong Province.

His father was a Korean resident of Japan (a Zainichi Korean) and a member of Chongryon, an organization that has close ties to North Korea. After graduating high school, his father and some 300 group members voluntarily went to the North, and then they were not allowed to leave.

Choi studied at Chongjin Medical University, the same school his father went to and worked at the city's anti-epidemic center that manages and oversees infectious diseases.

Choi said his father always deeply regretted his decision to go to North Korea until his death in 2010.

After escaping North Korea the year after, Choi has provided firsthand knowledge about the North's public health systems to research institutes and government agencies, including the NIS. Currently, he is a researcher at Korea University's Public Policy Research Institute in Seoul.

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