N Korea at crossroads

North Korea turns to China for help as COVID cases explode

Pyongyang likely to think hard before accepting vaccines from abroad

20220517 Kim Jong Un in pharmacy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a pharmacy in Pyongyang on Sunday. © KCNA/Kyodo

GABRIELA BERNAL, Contributing writer
May 17, 2022 16:32 JST

SEOUL -- After more than two years of insisting it was COVID-free, North Korea is now battling a massive surge of infections and is reaching out for help to its closest ally and main economic benefactor: China.

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