The United States is concerned that the novel coronavirus outbreak in North Korea could destabilize the Korean peninsula and affect regional security, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Mark Lambert said on Wednesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2022) The United States is concerned that the novel coronavirus outbreak in North Korea could destabilize the Korean peninsula and affect regional security, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Mark Lambert said on Wednesday.
"We also worry about how this outbreak and the DPRK (North Korea) response to it could affect stability and security on the Korean peninsula and in the region," Lambert said during a conference call with reporters.
The United States is alarmed by the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak in North Korea and concerned about how this will affect North Korea's citizens, its economy, including the dire food situation in the country, Lambert said.
Washington is prepared to provide Pyongyang with COVID-19 related assistance, including mRNA vaccines as it views such humanitarian assistance as a separate issue from talks on denuclearization, he said.
The United States urges North Korea to work with the international community to facilitate the rapid vaccination of its population, Lambert added.
On Wednesday, the Korean Central news Agency (KCNA) reported that North Korea has reported over the past 24 hours more than 115,000 new cases of unidentified fever believed to be due to COVID-19 and no new deaths, with the overall number of cases now exceeding 3 million cases.
North Korea has implemented a "maximum emergency" virus control system since detecting its first coronavirus cases in late April with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordering a lockdown in all cities and counties in order to stop the spread of the virus.
