Missile tests have cost North Korea $650 million.
North Korea has spent up to $ 650 million (about 610 million euros) on missile tests this year – enough money to pay for COVID-19 vaccination for the entire population of the impoverished country.
Pyongyang has conducted a record 18 weapons tests this year and has continued to launch missiles even after confirming the first COVID-19 infections in May, with more than 4 million cases of what authorities call “fever” reported so far.
“The money would have made it possible to make up for this year’s lack of food, or provide a single dose of COVID-19 vaccination for all North Koreans,” the report said.
Otherwise, North Korea struggles with chronic food shortages, which have been exacerbated by a self-imposed blockade of the coronavirus for years, along with international austerity sanctions on its weapons programs.
Despite state media reports claiming that COVID-19 is under control, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned last week that they “assume the situation is deteriorating”.
Experts have said the blast could cause a major health crisis in the country, which has one of the worst healthcare systems in the world.
At the start of the pandemic, Pyongyang repeatedly rejected COVID-19 vaccine offers, including from the WHO, and recently ignored new offers of medical assistance and vaccines from Seoul and Washington.