Deutsche Welle (English edition)
North Korea: Kim Jong Un vows to improve international ties
The North Korean leader is seeking to expand diplomatic relations amid a deepening economic crisis at home. A rare ruling party congress comes just days before US President-elect Joe Biden is due to take office.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday pledged to improve ties with the rest of the world, state media reported. He made the announcement during a speech on the third day of the reclusive country's ruling party congress.
He stressed the need to strengthen inter-Korean relations as well as diplomatic efforts with other countries.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Kim "declared the general orientation and the policy stand of our party for comprehensively expanding and developing the external relations." He did not
International relations
Experts had been expecting conciliatory gestures. The North Korean economy is undergoing an economic crisis exacerbated by coronavirus-related border closures, natural disasters, and US-led sanctions.
The announcement comes days before US President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in. Ties between Washington and Pyongyang had shown signs of improving during the early period of outgoing US President Donald Trump's tenure.
However, diplomatic talks broke down in 2019 after the second summit between Trump and Kim over disagreements on sanctions relief and denuclearization.
Kim said relations with Seoul needed to be changed "as required by the prevailing situation and the changed times."
Rare party meeting
The Workers' Party gathering is aimed at reviewing the party's work since the last meeting, as well as setting new goals for the next five years.
The first day of the meeting saw a rare admission of failure of party policies from the last meeting in 2016. North Korea also announced plans to expand its military capabilities, in defiance of international sanctions.
the "Doctor's Handbook" mobile application and quoted by the RBC daily, that they would not be vaccinated with Sputnik V due to insufficient data.
Weighing the benefits and risks
All risks and side effects registered so far are only snapshots of the past months — this must be noted despite all the excitement about the rapid vaccine development. Nothing is yet known about possible longterm effects of the individual vaccines. Only the long-term studies that accompany the vaccinations worldwide and will continue since approval will provide clarity.
In principle, the decision is always based on a risk-benefit assessment, said Christian Bogdan, director of the Institute for Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at Erlangen University Hospital, who is also a member of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
To the German Press Agency, he made the following calculation: If an elderly person has a 20% chance of dying from a Corona infection, and at the same time the risk of getting a severe side effect of the vaccination is 1:50,000 or even less, "I would accept that risk," he said.
So far, there is a lack of information about rare, possibly severe side effects, for example in rare pre-existing conditions or in certain risk groups such as specific allergy sufferers.
Such side effects only become apparent after many people have been vaccinated and after a longer observation period. "There is therefore a residual risk," said Bogdan. "How high that is will have to be examined in the coming months and years."
When it comes to children, Bogdan said they shouldn't be vaccinated. Their risk of dying from COVID-19 is close to zero, he said, and they still have a very long life ahead of them.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should also not get vaccinated as a precaution, according to Bogdan, based on current data.
A recommendation from the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), however, does not rule out vaccinating pregnant or breastfeeding mothers with mRNA vaccines after medical examination and consultation.