Nearly three years into the pandemic, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un finally wants to start administering COVID-19 vaccines. But the plan to start inoculations in November, while better late than never, is too little, too late for the millions who suffered during a nationwide outbreak and increased economic isolation. 

According to DPRK state media last week, Kim cited warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO) about the spread of COVID-19 and influenza this winter when introducing the vaccination plan.

Yet according to the country’s own statistics, North Korea has already recorded around 4.5 million