NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that Korea will start using Remdesivir as a COVID-19 treatment drug today. Those eligible for the Remdesivir administration are COVID-19 patients with pneumonia needing oxygen treatment. The KCDC will secure enough dosage for free distribution until the end of this month and then start price negotiation in July.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported that Korea's export in June fell 10.9% year-on to roughly 39.2 billion U.S. dollars. Compared to a year ago, automobile export declined 33.2%, automotive parts 45%, and textile 22.3%. Korea's export to China saw a 9.5% increase, but the exports to the United States and the European Union each shrank 8.3% and 17%. However, Korea's trade balance recorded 3.67 billion dollars in surplus as the nation's import also decreased by 11.4%.
The State of the World Population 2020 issued by the United Nations Population Fund reported that the life expectancy at birth in North Korea is 72 years, ranking 118th out of 198 surveyed nations. North Korea's life expectancy is 11 years shorter than that of South Korea at 83 years, ninth highest in the world, and falls short of even the global average of 73 years. Also, the country's low birthrate caused the population growth rate over the past five years to stagnate at 0.5%, far lower than the world average of 1.1%.