What about European or Japanese scientists? And about Korean scientists not part of the original team?

The last should also be able to get their hands on a sample provided by the original team and won't have to do reproduction attempts, right?

Who told you that they are not attempting the reproduction? Even US labs are attempting it, some of them explicitly in the open like the Argonne National Laboratory. Here you can find a non-comprehensive list of reproduction attempts: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/claims-of-room-tempe...

Oh, so there are finally Korean labs in that list! Last time there were 1 American, 1 Indian and 5 Chinese labs which I thought very weird. Hopefully the Korean labs can get an original sample.

The Drug Enforcement Administration? What does that have to do with physics?

This is probably about the fact that red phosphorus (required for the original process) cannot be purchased without a license (https://nitter.net/andrewmccalip/status/1684191067477004288#...), so kitchen chemists are out of the race. Established labs should have less problems though.

Plot twist - a cartel holds a press conference, and beats everybody to the punch