April 16, 2024
COVID-19

North Korean crowds visit Kim statues nationwide amid grave COVID-19 warnings

All citizens wearing masks, but social distancing absent in visits commemorating founding leader's death

Crowds of North Koreans visited statues of former leaders across the country on Wednesday to lay flowers on the anniversary of founder Kim Il Sung's death, state television reported, in the largest show of citizen gatherings since Kim Jong Un's grave warnings over COVID-19 last week.

Tens to hundreds of people approached the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang, all nine provincial capitals, and four special cities, footage aired on Korean Central Television (KCTV) throughout Wednesday showed.

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