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 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON 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. Kim Jong Un led a politburo meeting the same day to discuss ‘maximum’ anti-COVID-19 response measures after the Omicron variant was detected on May 8 in the country’s capital, state media reported Thursday. Kim appeared with a mask on for the first time in public in a video of the meeting that the Korean Central Television (KCTV) aired later in the day. No North Koreans are © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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.

Kim Jong Un led a politburo meeting the same day to discuss ‘maximum’ anti-COVID-19 response measures after the Omicron variant was detected on May 8 in the country’s capital, state media reported Thursday.

Kim appeared with a mask on for the first time in public in a video of the meeting that the Korean Central Television (KCTV) aired later in the day.

No North Koreans are

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 Executive Director at Korea Risk Group, based in Seoul. She 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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