North Korea has accused the US of using humanitarian assistance as a tool for interfering in its internal affairs, blighting international attempts to deliver coronavirus vaccines and food aid to the nuclear-armed state.
An article published by the North Korean foreign ministry on Sunday described humanitarian aid as a “sinister scheme” to put pressure on Pyongyang.
International groups including the Red Cross and the World Health Organization as well as foreign diplomats and health experts have struggled to gain access to the isolated country after Kim Jong Un instituted tough border controls as coronavirus spread from China last January.