Traffic has returned to the streets of Pyongyang after North Korean authorities lifted lockdown orders on the city last Sunday, according to NK News analysis of satellite imagery, though other major cities around the country appear to still be locked down. 

State media does not appear to have broadcast the relaxation of rules in the capital city, however, and continues to press the importance of lockdowns throughout the rest of the country. 

As of Thursday, authorities have reported steady “fever” case numbers — their established substitute for COVID-19 cases — of just under 100,000 and no deaths for four days straight. Official numbers were up slightly in only two provinces, North and South Hwanghae, between June 1 and 2.

MIXED SIGNALS

Planet Labs time-lapse imagery below shows that three typically busy spots in Pyongyang saw more regular civilian bus and vehicle traffic after authorities  walked back lockdown orders in the city on May 29. Such movement had been sparse after a nationwide lockdown was announced on May 12.

This comparison shows an empty area in front of Pyongyang Station during lockdown in the capital versus vehicle activity returning in recent days after lockdown orders were lifted | Images: Planet Labs PBH, edited by NK News

The parking lots or receiving areas of Pyongyang Station, the Pyongyang No. 1 Department Store and the Three Revolutions Exhibition House are all large, open areas, making it possible to discern activity in available medium-resolution imagery without interference from shadows of nearby buildings.

Vehicle activity does not appear to have returned to similar spots around the country, however, suggesting lockdown measures have only been lifted in Pyongyang. 

For example, an apparent intercity bus terminal in Phyongsong and the central train stations of Chongjin, Hamhung and Nampho all appeared relatively empty in recent days. 

In the east coast city of Wonsan, vehicles started to disappear in late April from some areas such as the main train station and a typically busy parking lot near the port, suggesting local authorities may have instituted lockdown orders earlier than the rest of the country.

A parking lot in Wonsan appearing to serve as an intercity bus terminal went relatively quiet even earlier, after May 15. A few vehicles have moved in the weeks since, indicating some travel has been allowed or merely that health officials have used the lot and buses during aid distribution efforts, as has been seen elsewhere in state media.

Top national newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Friday that the “cabinet and people’s committees for each province are carrying out practical measures for providing food and conducting sales in accordance with regional lockdowns and unit closures,” remaining vague in messaging to domestic audiences about whether Pyongyang is still locked down. 

The last time state media explicitly reported that the orders were still in effect in the capital was on May 28, a day before they were apparently lifted, saying that city officials were “maintaining the intensive lockdown” and that “the whole country is under strict lockdown.”

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) specifically reported on Thursday that South Hwanghae province “strictly enforces the lockdown measure for every region and unit” and that it is “pushing ahead with the immediate farming work” as North Korea faces severe drought.

Edited by Arius Derr