North Korea is such a frightening place that even the coronavirus has been afraid to go near it.
Or, at least that’s what North Korea tells us.
See, even though the country has maintained that they’ve had zero cases of Covid-19 since the disease emerged six months ago, experts are skeptical.
It’s a bit like when your partner says she didn’t eat that last chocolate bar in the fridge, even though there was no one else in the house: it’s possible, but highly unlikely.
As one expert said, it seems impossible for a country with such close trading ties to China, where the disease emerged, to remain immune to the pandemic.
Whether or not North Korea has seen Covid-19 cases within its borders will probably never be known, because of how secretive the government is.
That’s why this news was a bit of a surprise.
North Korea Sees ‘First Suspected COVID-19’ Case
After infecting over 16 million people in 213 countries, the coronavirus has finally made its way to North Korean shores, who reported its ‘first suspected’ Covid-19 case recently.
According to its state media, the first case is a person who defected to South Korea three years ago and returned last week with Covid-19 symptoms.
“An emergency event happened in Kaesong city where a runaway who went to the south three years ago – a person who is suspected to have been infected with the vicious virus – returned on 19 July after illegally crossing the demarcation line,” news agency KCNA said.
In response, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held an emergency meeting where he ordered a “maximum emergency system” to contain the virus.
He also imposed a lockdown in the border city of Kaesong, according to BBC.
While some have questioned how exactly this individual crossed the heavily fortified border with South Korea twice, one South Korean official said there were “high chances” that it happened and that an investigation had been launched.
Does this person have coronavirus symptoms as North Korean officials say? We may never find out.
A “Shining Success”
Just a few weeks ago, Kim Jong-un declared his country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic a “shining success”, as they had “prevented the inroad of the malignant virus and maintained a stable situation”.
Six months ago, North Korea closed its borders as the coronavirus went country-hopping across the globe, quarantining hundreds of foreigners in the country’s capital, Pyongyang.
They also isolated tens of thousands of its own citizens and closed schools.
Schools have since reopened, but public gatherings remain banned and it’s now mandatory for people to wear masks in public.
These sound like the prudent measures every country should take to prevent a massive outbreak, right?
Maybe they really did have zero cases until now?
Then again, their state media once reported that Kim Jong-un had found a cure for AIDS, Ebola, and cancer with a miracle drug called Kumdang-2 that is made up of ginseng and “rare earth elements.”
They also claimed that Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, invented the hamburger, so maybe a little skepticism is necessary here.
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