For nearly a month, North Korea has struggled to rein in a COVID-19 outbreak that it has called one of the greatest crises in the country’s history. Medical experts have postulated that thousands could die, and some observers have even raised the possibility of resulting regime instability.

Yet despite the serious threat that COVID-19 poses to millions in the DPRK, it’s become increasingly clear that the outbreak has also provided Pyongyang with a golden opportunity to boost propaganda for the regime.

State media has featured wall-to-wall coverage of anti-epidemic efforts since first reporting the outbreak on May 12, while