Chinese authorities are battling a resurgent outbreak of COVID-19 in a province near North Korea, which experts say could threaten the DPRK’s population if the virus spreads across the border.

Located in China’s frigid northeast, Jilin province had reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus for months, but that changed on Jan. 17, when the provincial health authority announced that confirmed cases increased by 10 to 167 total.

As of Jan. 29, the current official case count for Jilin is 473, but a diplomatic source with knowledge of discussions in China told NK Newsthat the COVID-19