What will the world do as COVID-19 spreads ‘explosively’ in North Korea?

SEOUL, South Korea – The coronavirus has been “explosive” that has been spreading in North Korea since late last month, killing six people and leaving. 187,800 people are in quarantinereported the country’s state media on Friday.

Health officials acknowledged an emerging public health crisis after the country reported its first outbreak of the virus, after a long insistence that it had no infections and refusal to receive external humanitarian aid to combat any spread.

The announcement of the deaths came when the head of state, Kim Jong Un |was visiting national disease control headquarters on Thursday, the official North Korean Central News Agency said.

In a sign of growing urgency, state Central Television first featured Kim with a mask at a Labor Party meeting.

Kim criticized his health officials, saying the simultaneous spread of the fever, which was the capital at the center of the outbreak, “shows that there is a vulnerable point in the epidemic prevention system, ”North Korea’s news agency said.

Some analysts warn that North Korea could head to a major humanitarian crisis unless it convinces the international community to turn to foreign aid to fight the virus.

“We are in the early stages of the spread of human suffering,” said Lee Sung-yoon, a North Korea expert at Tufts University’s Fletcher School.

“The nature and extent of disease, death, famine and starvation can only be established later.”

North Korea said it learned of its first outbreak after health officials on Sunday examined people in Pyongyang, the capital, who showed symptoms including fever.

They were infected with the BA.2 subvariant of the virus, he said.

The country declared a “maximum emergency” and ordered all cities and counties in the country with 25 million to close, telling them to separate “every work unit, production unit, and residential unit from each other.”

North Korea says 350,000 people have developed a fever since late April, including 18,000 on Thursday.

It added that 162,200 people were completely healed.

Reports of the outbreak so far have been vague, blaming “a fever whose cause cannot be determined.”

They did not clarify, for example, how many people with fever tested positive for the virus.

But they say one in six died was tested positive for the subvariant of BA.2.

“Like any other data from North Korea, the numbers are subject to debate and we can’t fully trust them,” said Ahn Kyung-su, who runs DPRKHealth.org, a Seoul-based website. and network of Public Health Experts Studying North Korea.

“But what is clear is that North Korea has a COVID phenomenon, and by releasing those numbers, North Korea seems to be sending signals that it is finally ready to receive help from other countries related to COVID. “

So far, North Korea has not received any vaccine donations for COVID-19 from international health organizations.

South Korean officials hope that humanitarian ships, including vaccines, can help restart diplomatic dialogue between North Korea and the United States and its allies.

The risk posed by a COVID outbreak is greater in North Korea than in most other countries because most of its people they were not vaccinated.

In addition, the outbreak may increase economic pressurewhich has been hit by years of United Nations sanctions and North Korea’s decision two years ago to close its border with China, its only major trading partner.

“North Koreans are chronically malnourished and unvaccinated, there are almost no medicines left in the country, and the health infrastructure cannot cope with this pandemic,” said Lina Yoon, Korea’s senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“The international community should offer medication for symptoms associated with COVID-19, antiviral medication for the treatment of COVID-19, and provide vaccines and all necessary infrastructure for the prevention of vaccines, including refrigerators, generators, and gasoline. “

Hours after admitting to the outbreak on Thursday, North Korea launched three ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang into the sea on its east coast.

is missile test number 16 from North Korea this year.

In South Korea, the government of newly inaugurated President Yoon Suk-yeol condemned the trial as a “serious threat” and “provocation”, and accused the North of “fraud” for testing weapons while its people were threatened. of coronavirus. .

But he seems willing send vaccines, therapeutics and other assistance humanitarian in the North.

In Washington, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said that “the United States currently has no plans to share vaccines” with North Korea.

He said the country “continues to exploit its own citizens” through its policy of not receiving humanitarian aid during the pandemic.

“Instead, they are diverting resources to develop their illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” Psaki said, echoing Washington’s assessment that North Korea may be ready to conduct a nuclear test in the early stages. of this month.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with Yoon in Seoul on May 21

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