North Korea reports first-ever COVID-19 outbreak

COVID-19

North Korea reports first-ever COVID-19 outbreak

State media announces ‘maximum’ quarantine procedures to fight Omicron infections in the country

Chaewon Chung | Jeongmin Kim May 12, 2022

North Korea reports first-ever COVID-19 outbreak

Kim Jong Un, seen in state media with a mask for the first time, oversees a meeting to discuss a COVID-19 outbreak in Pyongyang | Image: KCTV (May 12, 2022)

Updated at 6:15 p.m. May 12 KST to include Kim Jong Un’s remarks and more expert comments

North Korea says it’s battling its first COVID-19 outbreak, nearly two-and-a-half years after the worldwide pandemic began.

About the Authors

Chaewon Chung

Chaewon Chung covers U.S., Chinese, and Japanese politics and national security in relation to North Korea. She previously worked at Coda Story covering disinformation and technology with a focus on the East Asia.

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Jeongmin Kim

Jeongmin Kim is the Lead Correspondent at NK News and Editorial Director at KOREA PRO, based in Seoul. Kim covers inter-Korean relations and North and South Korean foreign and military affairs. Kim has covered the 2022 ROK presidential election on the ground, and prior to joining NK News, she worked for the CSIS Korea Chair in Washington D.C. and Reuters news agency’s Seoul bureau.

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