SEOUL: North Korea has said that it was developing a vaccine for the novel coronavirus on its own, the country’s science research council claimed on Saturday.

According to a report posted on Mirae, the website run by the North’s State Commission of Science and Technology, its scientists are currently conducting clinical trials to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, reports Yonhap News Agency reported.

The report said the vaccine development is led by a medical biology institute under the North’s Academy of Medical Science using angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).

The country, which is yet to report a single COVID-19 case, added that scientists are in discussions on conducting the third phase of a clinical study, IANS reported.

(With inputs from agencies)