According to a South Korean government official familiar with the situation, three North Korean cargo planes went to China and back on Monday as the country confronts a rapidly growing outbreak of Covid-19.
The jets landed at Taoxian International Airport in Shenyang, Liaoning Province in northeast China, according to the official.
The planes' cargo is unknown, but the unusual voyage came after China vowed to assist North Korea with its Covid epidemic, which experts have warned could result in a serious humanitarian crisis in the isolated and impoverished country.
Last week, North Korea announced its first-ever Covid instances. It had previously denied any allegations and has kept its borders closed since January 2020.
North Korea has claimed over two million "fever" cases since May 12, with state media describing it as a "serious national emergency" and authorities scurrying to respond.
All cities have been put on lockdown, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called on the military to help secure medicinal supplies in Pyongyang.
Following the first occurrences, China stated that it was ready to provide full support to North Korea's "friends, neighbors, and comrades
" According to a representative for China's Foreign Ministry, the two countries have "a fine heritage of mutual assistance."
China has delivered millions of vaccine doses around the world throughout the epidemic, as well as negotiated agreements with the international vaccine sharing organization COVAX last year to provide more than half a billion injections.
According to the World Health Organization, North Korea has yet to establish a Covid-19 vaccination program, leaving its population susceptible. In addition, the country's ailing healthcare system lacks the medicine and supplies needed to battle a Covid-19 outbreak.
The spread, as well as the limits in place, has alarmed international organizations, with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warning on Tuesday that the outbreak — and the restrictions in place — might have "a disastrous impact on the country's human rights situation."
Human Rights Watch has expressed alarm as well, urging the United Nations and states around the world to "make every feasible effort to persuade North Korea to allow outside humanitarian assistance."
The South Korean government claims it has offered medicine, vaccinations, and other medical supplies to North Korea, but has yet to receive a response.
source-CNN
