What is known about the covid-19 crisis in North Korea

Dov Herman

4 years ago

What is known about the covid-19 crisis in North Korea

In late June, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un warned of a national “major crisis” related to the covid-19 pandemic, sparking speculation that the isolated Asian state's rudimentary health care system is struggling to quell a significant outbreak of viral infection. For the past 18 months, Pyongyang insisted that no cases had been detected in North Korean territory, and that drastic preventive measures, including closing national borders, had proven effective in containing the new coronavirus. So far, it has been virtually impossible to confirm such statements, not least because there are no longer any international assistance or public health organizations in the country. Experts, however, consider it extremely unlikely that North Korea has escaped completely unscathed, mainly due to its geographic location, with common borders with China, the original epicenter of the pandemic, and the former North Korean dependence on Chinese exports and imports.

VOID THREATS, CONCRETE PROBLEMS

Kim unleashed new suspicions of an internal health crisis during a protracted meeting of the ruling Korean Workers' Party, which he presided on Tuesday (June 29, 2022) in Pyongyang. He took the opportunity to publicly criticize his senior dignitaries for failing to implement measures necessary to combat the virus. “High officials in charge of important state affairs neglected the implementation of important Party decisions to take organizational, institutional, material, scientific and technological measures (…) associated with the global health crisis", quoted the state news agency KCNA. The fact "caused a crucial case of creating a major crisis to guarantee the security of the State and the integrity of the people, and had serious consequences", Kim declared. There are no details about what would have been, exactly, the "crucial case", the "great crisis" or the "grave consequences". However, television footage of the politburo meeting reveals that several senior officials were no longer present and were likely to have been demoted, or even punished for their imprisonment or in forced labor camps. 'Failed' is a fact of life in North Korea, although it is unclear how severe these penalties might be,” explains Daniel Pinkston, professor of international relations at the Troy University campus in Seoul. see, what could have been done to better protect the 25.7 million North Koreans, given the state the nation is in today. "It's no secret that they're really suffering right now." The Kim regime has been under international sanctions for years for insisting on developing nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. "So they were really facing famine when the pandemic erupted in China, and North Korea responded by simply closing its borders." , Pinkston continues. “Virtually nothing went in and nothing came out, and even the smuggling routes, which effectively functioned as a survival line for large numbers of ordinary citizens, were closed. It is impossible to accurately estimate the impact, but it is obvious that the economy has been severely affected“, concludes the professor.

BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, THE HUNGER

With far less food being imported from China, North Korea's food shortage has worsened after a poor harvest in 2020, with crops hit in particular by two major typhoons in the country's main agricultural region. Ahn Yinhay, professor of International relations at Korea University in Seoul suggests that both Kim Jong-un's accusations of incompetence against his highest-ranking ministers and the purging of his cadres indicate that the autocrat is “scared” by the situation. As we're hearing, it seems very likely that the virus is spreading through the population, which has to be a concern as they simply don't have the medical capabilities to treat the people,” he says. “, continues the researcher. “But this is a pretty extreme development, and it suggests that they are no longer able to handle the situation. And when this combines with the food shortage that ordinary citizens are already experiencing, it becomes clear why the leadership is scared,” says Yinhay. A report released in late June by the Seoul-based Development Institute indicated that the North it is facing a deficit of more than 1.3 million tons of grain needed to supply a population already suffering from malnutrition. To support these estimates, there are similar findings from humanitarian agencies, including the UN, and reports from the dissenting press. It cites sources in North Korea, according to which entire families have already succumbed to starvation; and the Armed Forces would be unable to function at full capacity, with so many soldiers weakened by lack of nutrition.

THE FEAR OF ANOTHER "HARD MARCH"

Perhaps the most significant indicator of the gravity of the situation came from Kim himself, when in May he called on the nation to prepare for another “hard march.” The proclamation certainly aroused fear in those who remember the four years of mass famine, in the mid-decades, when an estimated 3.5 million starved to death due to economic mismanagement, a series of droughts, the collapse of the rationing system, central planning, and the withdrawal of support from Pyongyang's traditional allies, above all. Russia. Ahn cautions, however, that the North Korean regime has managed to get through these tribulations with no signs of internal dissent that would jeopardize the leadership, and it is likely that it will manage to do so once again. the failure of their leaders to act, they remained in power“, emphasizes the teacher based in Seoul. “Their dominance was more important than the lives of so many of their citizens, and that hasn't changed,” he added.