On May 12, North Korea reported the country’s first COVID outbreak, a significant public admission after two and a half years of stringent lockdowns and border closures. Since then, the country has seen its infection rates soar with over two million cases of “fever” recorded.
North Korea has remained unyielding in its stance towards foreign aid, declining COVAX (the global vaccine sharing scheme) and providing no response to the offer of medicines and vaccines from South Korea. While its leader, Kim Jong Un, has declared that the virus is under control, the true scale of North Korea’s cases remains unclear.
Daily case numbers released by the government are related only to “fever” and rely on symptomatic screening. Omicron, the variant behind North Korea’s outbreak, is estimated to be asymptomatic in close to 40 percent of cases and there is concern that asymptomatic patients, who can still transmit the infection, are being missed.
Experts speculate that the situation may be far worse than the official reports, considering the tight-lipped policy of the country. According to the official account, the death toll since April is 68 which could be explained by...
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