Kim Jong Un waving at citizens at a civilian parade in Pyongyang marking the country's late founder Kim Il Sung's birthday | Image: Rodong Sinmun (April 16, 2022)
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
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.
Jeongmin Kim is a 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