North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his family are said to have received an experimental corona vaccine from the Chinese government.
An American North Korea expert says, based on two anonymous Japanese intelligence sources, that Kim and several senior officials have been vaccinated in recent weeks.
Harry Kazianis, a North Korea expert in Washington, wrote in an article for online platform 19FortyFive that it is unclear which company supplied the vaccine and whether it has already been proven safe.
Three different Chinese companies are currently developing a vaccine. One vaccine has already been distributed to nearly a million people in China in its pilot phase. The results of this have not yet been announced.
Still, experts doubt whether the North Korean leader would really be vaccinated with an experimental vaccine. The risk would be too significant. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had not heard from corona vaccines supplied.
North Korea has not yet reported any coronavirus infections, but a possible outbreak cannot be ruled out, according to South Korean intelligence.
Software company Microsoft announced last month that North Korean attackers have attempted to hack pharmaceutical companies involved in developing a corona vaccine. South Korea also reported that a digital break-in attempt by North Korea at a vaccine manufacturer had been foiled.