COVID-19 erupted in N. Korea more than 2 yrs before its acknowledgment in 2022: report

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, June 17 (Yonhap) -- The COVID-19 pandemic raged in North Korea for more than two years before Pyongyang officially acknowledged the spread of the virus in the country in 2022, a think tank report said Tuesday, debunking the regime's claims of "zero cases" early in the pandemic era.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, in cooperation with the George W. Bush Institute, released the report, titled "Behind Shuttered Borders: A view into North Korea's COVID-19 experiences." It is based on a survey of 100 ordinary North Korean residents.

"The DPRK government purposefully misinformed these (its) citizens and the global community about the extent of the pandemic inside North Korea," the report said. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"Deaths and suffering due to suspected COVID-19 cases were widespread in North Korea starting in 2020, despite government public proclamations to the World Health Organization of 'zero cases,' and well before the first official announcement of an outbreak in May 2022," it added.

The report stressed that if the North Korean regime had spoken truthfully about the pandemic and accepted outside help from 2020, many deaths could have been avoided. Survey respondents noted increased access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines after May 2022 when Pyongyang publicly acknowledged COVID-19 cases.

It criticized Pyongyang's "negligence" as "nothing short of abominable."

"Prior to the regime's long-delayed announcement of an outbreak in May 2022, citizens reported having virtually no access to vaccines, no antiviral medications, and minimal supply of personal protective equipment," it said.

"Moreover, lockdowns of markets and restrictions on internal movements exacerbated food and medicine shortages. It's likely the national government dealt with the pandemic crisis by shirking responsibility and compelling the populace to fend for themselves."

Pyongyang's response to the pandemic prevented individuals and officials at the local level from reporting symptomatic cases due to fear of censure and lockdown, worsening the people's suffering as the pandemic spread, according to the report.

It also advised governments and organizations seeking to improve the welfare of North Koreans not to trust North Korean official statements or data "at face value"; continue to offer humanitarian aid when needed even if the North Korean regime is likely to reject it.

It also called for devising and supporting legislative and nongovernmental organization initiatives to increase North Koreans' access to accurate outside information, and for continuing to document evidence of human rights abuses to support future prosecutions of North Korean leaders.

The report is based on interviews with 60 females and 40 males living in the North. The interviews were conducted during the second half of 2023.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
(END)