North Korea appears to be quarantining emergency COVID-19 aid it picked up from China last week via its first international flights in over two years, NK Pro satellite imagery analysis reveals, raising questions about the urgency of the operation. 

Three Air Koryo Il-76 cargo planes appeared to collect the aid in Shenyang just north of the China-DPRK border on May 16, before reappearing on the rarely used northern runway of the Pyongyang International Airport, according to Planet Labs imagery from May 17. 

As of May 24, the three planes appeared in their same abnormal positions, surrounded by objects and apparent storage containers that may contain what sources said was emergency COVID-related materials. The visual evidence suggests DPRK authorities are quarantining the plane and its cargo.

Other objects surrounding a large agricultural field present before the aircraft arrived also did not appear to move during the same period, possibly because the area has been made off-limits to farmers tending the field.

These high-resolution images show the planes and other objects in their vicinity on Pyongyang airport’s northern runway did not appear to move between May 18 and 24 | Images: Planet Labs PBH, edited by NK Pro

North Korea has maintained some of the strictest import quarantine measures in the world since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, suspending overland trade for long periods of time and forcing goods that do make it into the country to quarantine for around three months before releasing them for domestic delivery. 

The sudden flights last week — the first time North Korea has been confirmed to allow aircraft into the country since March 2020 — came just days after Pyongyang announced its first COVID-19 outbreak, suggesting authorities relaxed border lockdown policies due to an extraordinary need for aid materials.

The flights themselves were a major sign of relaxation, presenting risks DPRK authorities did not appear prepared to allow before the outbreak, such as COVID-19 attaching itself to the outside of planes. State media has said the virus can enter the country in a similar way via snow, dust and birds.

However, with the planes and possible imports on the runway next to them appearing stationary for the last six days, it may be that quarantine rules are still being observed to some extent. The quarantine may be as short as a week, as was the case for a ship that traveled to Nampho port from China in April, or as long as three months.

Meanwhile, state media is signaling that a lockdown in place since at least May 10 is having the desired effects, as suspected COVID-19 or “fever” cases had decreased for four consecutive days as of Monday evening.

Edited by Arius Derr