Until very recently, the government of North Korea has contended that there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 within its borders. This has met with a skeptical reception in the scientific community. Given that North Korea shares borders with South Korea and China, both countries that have been grappling with the coronavirus for months, it has struck many as implausible that the pandemic would have bypassed the nation completely.
Whether or not North Korea had cases of COVID-19 in the past, it seems to have at least one now. The Associated Press reports that the city of Kaesong, located near the border between North and South Korea, is now in a state of lockdown. What prompted this reaction? A resident of the city had shown symptoms of the disease.
North Korea already took certain steps this year to address the pandemic, including strictly regulating its borders. The possibility of the pandemic spreading within North Korea has some observers alarmed:
Foreign experts say a coronavirus outbreak in North Korea could cause dire consequences because of its poor public health care infrastructure and chronic lack of medical supplies.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, the patient showing symptoms had left North Korea for South Korea several years earlier, then crossed the border back into North Korea more recently. The Associated Press report notes that this is unusual behavior; one expert quoted in the article contends that this allegation has more to do with diplomatic hardball than anything else.
As of this writing, the South Korean government has not commented on the situation.
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