A North Korean doctor looks at a medical screen, Sept. 2016 | Image: NK News
Since early 2020, North Korea has maintained one of the strictest COVID-19 border control regimes on the planet — no one in, almost no one out. Trade, too, was largely limited as the country’s leadership did everything in its power to keep the DPRK COVID-free.
That strategy has failed. On May 12, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that COVID-19 – specifically the highly-contagious omicron variant – finally reached the North Korean people. DPRK state media has since reported over one million cases of “fever” and 50 deaths.
Since early 2020, North Korea has maintained one of the strictest COVID-19 border control regimes on the planet — no one in, almost no one out. Trade, too, was largely limited as the country’s leadership did everything in its power to keep the DPRK COVID-free.
That strategy has failed. On May 12, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that COVID-19 – specifically the highly-contagious omicron variant – finally reached the North Korean people. DPRK state media has since reported over one million cases of “fever” and 50 deaths.
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Ethan Jewell is a Seoul-based correspondent for NK News focused on sanctions, trade and maritime issues. He previously worked as an investigations and intelligence specialist for Pinkerton Comprehensive Risk Management and as a research intern for the Brookings Institution's Center for East Asia Policy Studies.