KCNA | Kim Jong Un at the Oct. 10, 2020 military parade
Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tearfully thanked his country for having “not a single” COVID-19 case in a speech at the country’s massive Oct. 10 military parade.
But around the same time, the number of people tested, quarantined and “suspected” of contracting the virus spiked, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
As of Oct. 22, North Korea recorded 5,368 “suspected” COVID-19 cases “as a result of intensified surveillance,” WHO said on Tuesday. Eight of these cases involved foreigners.
This “intensified surveillance” could be related to North Korea’s
Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un tearfully thanked his country for having “not a single” COVID-19 case in a speech at the country’s massive Oct. 10 military parade.
But around the same time, the number of people tested, quarantined and “suspected” of contracting the virus spiked, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Jeongmin Kim is the Lead Correspondent at NK News, based in Seoul. Kim covers inter-Korean and DPRK-related foreign, defense and humanitarian affairs, and has covered the 2022 ROK Presidential election on the ground. Prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency's Seoul bureau. Follow her on Twitter @jeongminnkim