The U.S. is "closely" watching North Korea for signs of a COVID-19 outbreak or a famine, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday in an interview on Fox News.

The comments come amid recent reports of panic buying at some grocery stores in Pyongyang, new Chinese trade data showing a massive drop in food exports to the North, and ongoing worries that North Korea may be suffering in silence from the COVID-19 pandemic.