After years of struggling with the Covid19 pandemic, many countries have ended their lockdowns and are slowly returning to normal. But in North Korea, the story is different.
After two years without a single Covid case being reported, Pyongyang reported on May 16 that more than a million people had contracted what the state press calls a “fever”.
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The actual figures could be much higher than the official ones as the country’s government of 25 million is known for its secrecy. In addition, North Korea has limited testing capacity.
- North Korea reports 1 death and 262,000 “fever cases” in 24 hours amid Covid19 outbreak
- North Korea reports 6 deaths and 270,000 “fever cases” in 24 hours amid Covid19 outbreak
See the reasons for the problems of in this report North Korea
The WHO says high transmission rates and few vaccines, as in North Korea, create a greater risk for variants
At least 56 people have died so far, but it is unknown how many of those suspected cases have tested positive for the virus.
North Korea announced its first confirmed cases of Covid just last week, although experts believe the virus has likely been around for some time.
“The spread of this evil epidemic is the greatest upheaval that has taken place in our country since its inception,” Kim Jongun, the country’s leader, was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.
As a result, his government imposed a “maximum emergency” control at the national level. North Korea is already the most isolated country on earth.
Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), expressed concern on Tuesday (17 May) about the “likely human rights impact” of the lockdown imposed by the authorities.
Three questions help understand how North Korea got to this point.
2 out of 5 people watch a TV screen showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a train station in Seoul, South Korea. — Photo: Ahn Youngjoon/AP
At a train station in Seoul, South Korea, people watch a TV screen showing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. — Photo: Ahn Youngjoon/AP
1. Rejection of international aid
North Korea has refused help from the international community to supply the country with vaccines, believing it can only contain the virus with the border closures imposed in January 2020.
3 in 5 medicines and personal protective equipment are in short supply in North Korea — Photo: Getty Images/BBC
Medicines and personal protective equipment are in short supply in North Korea — Photo: Getty Images/BBC
Alistair Coleman, the BBC’s North Korea expert, says the North’s reasons for rejecting offers of vaccine doses from abroad are unclear.
“Some sources believe that they are waiting for more effective mRNA vaccines instead of immunizing the population with less effective injections,” he explains.
“Another way of thinking is that foreign supplies of vaccines come under conditions that are unacceptable to Pyongyang.”
For Kee Park, a professor of global health and social medicine at Harvard University, there are other reasons. First, the traditional North Korean philosophical theory known as “juche” emphasizes selfreliance.
“It’s not easy for them to ask for help,” the professor explains in an interview with BBC News Mundo, the BBC’s Spanish service.
He also explains that imports of humanitarian cargo into South Korea have declined since the pandemic began, as authorities see the entry of external cargo and personnel as a possible route for the virus to enter.
4 in 5 North Korea has turned down offers from the international community to supply the country with vaccines — Photo: Getty Images/Via BBC
North Korea has rejected offers from the international community to supply the country with vaccines — Photo: Getty Images/Via BBC
“With the virus already in the country, they would have to reassess the risk and benefit of foreign aid,” Park adds.
In recent days, a group of planes operated by North Korea’s state airline Air Koryo have operated several flights to China after being parked for more than two years.
“These flights could indicate a change in North Korea’s willingness to accept air freight,” says the expert.
In his opinion, this could have significant repercussions if they eventually decide to accept help from other international organizations.
2. Health system deficiencies
North Korea is currently unable to test its population, leading to increasing shortages of essential medicines and equipment to fight the coronavirus.
According to Professor Kee Park, South Korea is a lowincome country with a limited healthcare system.
“Despite a relatively high density of health workers, the system would struggle to cope with the increase in patients,” he says.
5 out of 5 North Korea’s leader Kim Jongun — Photo: EPA/Via BBC
North Korea’s leader Kim Jongun — Photo: EPA/Via BBC
Alistair Coleman, an expert on North Korea, explains that Pyongyang’s response to Covid has always been to deny the virus exists in the country.
“The state’s response has been to close its borders and implement a hygiene strategy to prevent infection by spraying public places such as train stations, schools, hospitals, etc.”
But the country couldn’t be less prepared to fight the disease.
“The healthcare system is pretty terrible,” says Jieun Baek, founder of Lumen, an NGO that oversees North Korea.
“It’s a very bad system. Aside from the two million people who live in Pyongyang, most of the country has access to very poor quality healthcare.”
People who have fled North Korea have claimed in the past that syringe needles are being reused until they rust and that beer bottles are being turned into makeshift saline containers.
In addition to an unvaccinated population, there is a shortage of medicines and personal protective equipment.
And testing is very limited: According to the World Health Organization, only 64,000 tests have been conducted since the pandemic began.
For comparison, South Korea has conducted 172 million tests so far.
3. Low collective immunity
With Pyongyang refusing help from the international community in vaccinating the population, herd immunity in the country is extremely low.
Despite rumors that some of North Korea’s elite have been vaccinated, the vast majority of North Koreans have not received any doses of Covid19.
In fact, during the pandemic, state media warned of the ineffectiveness and dangers of vaccines against Covid.
With no confirmed cases of Covid19 in the last two years, the population is “immunologically susceptible to the SarsCov2 virus” and all its variants, says Harvard professor Kee Park.
“So far they haven’t had any outbreaks, so no one has developed immunity. In addition, they still have to vaccinate the population. They essentially have no immune protection,” he adds.
The World Health Organization on Monday expressed “concern” about the situation in North Korea, as the Omicron variant appears to have affected nearly 1.5 million people in the Asian country since late April.
“As the country has not yet started vaccination against Covid19, there is a risk that the virus could spread rapidly unless prompt and appropriate measures are taken to contain it,” WHO Regional Director Khetrapal Singh warned in a statement.
OHCHR spokeswoman Liz Throssell stressed that without a vaccination campaign, the spread of the pandemic “could have a devastating impact on the human rights situation in the country”.
In a statement released Tuesday, Throssell called on North Korean authorities to discuss with the United Nations opening channels for humanitarian assistance, including medicines, vaccines, equipment and other lifesaving support.
“We also urge the authorities to facilitate the return of international and UN officials to help provide assistance, including vulnerable populations and those living in rural and border areas.”