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Defectors: North Korea Military May Become Hotbed of Coronavirus Infections

Eunjung Cho

   With a million personnel, the Korean People's Army is among the largest
   in the world.

   It's also cited as one of the most vulnerable groups of people to a
   possible coronavirus outbreak in North Korea.

   "A coronavirus outbreak in the military will be Kim Jong Un's biggest
   fear," said Lee Unggil, former member of North Korea's special forces
   "Storm Corps" or the 11th Corps.

   During a forum Wednesday at Washington's Hudson Institute about the
   lives of North Korean soldiers, Lee explained that the military's
   conditions are prone to a massive outbreak.

   Crowded barracks

   Lee explained the North Korean soldiers live in crowded barracks with
   poor living conditions so diseases spread fast.

   "In early 2000s, there was SARS [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome]
   outbreak in the military. North Korean soldiers are very malnourished
   and their immune system is weak, so many people died. But we didn't
   even know whether it was because of SARS or other diseases. There
   aren't any testing kits. If someone dies with fever, we presumed it was
   an epidemic," Lee said.

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