WHO ships COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea

North Korea has been claiming to have a perfect record of fighting coronavirus and has reported no coronavirus

A file photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has started shipping COVID-19 medical supplies into North Korea, a possible sign that the North is easing one of the world's strictest pandemic border closures to receive outside help.

WHO says it has started the shipment of essential COVID-19 medical supplies through the Chinese port of Dalian for strategic stockpiling and further dispatch to North Korea.

The country still claims to have a perfect record of fighting the virus and has reported no coronavirus cases. It recently turned down some Sinovac vaccines offered via the UN-backed program. It had severely restricted cross-border traffic and trade for the past two years despite the strain on its crippled economy.