WORLD BRIEFS

Hanoi jails 2 ex-officials over COVID test kits graft

HANOI—A court in Vietnam jailed two former Cabinet ministers on Friday and found dozens of officials guilty of bribery and mismanagement for their roles in a coronavirus test kit scandal, the ministry of public security said. Former health minister Nguyen Thanh Long was sentenced to 18 years in prison for taking bribes worth $2.25 million, while Chu Ngoc Anh, former science and technology minister, was jailed for three years for mismanagement, the security ministry said in a statement. At the heart of the scandal was a private medical firm called Viet A Technology Corp., which was accused of colluding with officials to produce coronavirus test kits for the state health system that were sold at inflated prices. —REUTERS

North Korea poised to admit first tourists since 2020SEOUL—A group from Russia is poised to be the first known tourists allowed into North Korea since antipandemic border lockdowns began in early 2020, according to a post from Russian provincial authorities and a Western tour guide. North Korea imposed some of the strictest border controls in the world during the spread of COVID-19, and has yet to fully reopen to foreigners. The four-day tour will depart on Feb. 9 and include stops in Pyongyang and a ski resort, according to an online itinerary. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a summit in eastern Russia in September, where they pledged deepening cooperation on economic, political, and military fronts despite international sanctions. Tourism is largely unaffected by UN Security Council resolutions that restrict business with North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The year before the pandemic began, North Korea saw a surge of Chinese tourists who may have provided the cash-strapped country with up to $175 million in extra revenue in 2019, according to an estimate by Seoul-based NK News. —REUTERS