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N. Korea Hints at 'Prolonged' Covid Lockdown

William Gallo

   SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned of
   "prolonged" anti-coronavirus measures, the latest indication his
   country's strict lockdown will not end anytime soon.

   During a meeting of ruling party leaders, Kim discussed the need to
   maintain a "perfect anti-epidemic state," the state-run Korean Central
   News Agency said Wednesday.

   Kim said the measures were necessary since "the world health crisis is
   becoming worse and worse due to the malignant virus,"KCNAreported.

   The statement did not specify how long the lockdown wouldlast, butsaid
   party leaders were preparing for its"prolonged nature."

   North Korea, which has a population ofmore than25 million, continues to
   insist it has not found a single COVID-19 case. It was one of the first
   countries to seal its borders due to the coronavirus.

   The country has given few signs of opening back up. Last month, state
   media warned that vaccines produced overseas were"no universalpanacea."

   COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing program, had expected to send nearly
   2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to North Korea by the first
   half of this year. But that has been delayed due to global supply
   shortages and ongoing negotiations between COVAX and Pyongyang.
   A nurse fills a syringe with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a
   health care center in Seoul, Feb. 26, 2021.

   In April, North Koreaappeared to temporarily loosenits border
   restrictions. The Seoul-based [1]NK News website reported foreign food
   items, such as chocolate, dried fruit, and Coca-Cola, began appearing
   in Pyongyang stores following months of shortages. The website
   alsoidentifieda border facility it said was designed to disinfect
   imports.

   "But all signs currently point to this modest opening being 100%
   reversed," tweeted Chad O'Carroll, the founder of NK News,
   whichmaintainssources in thecountry.

   Kim's latest comments suggest "the border will be FULLY closed for much
   longer than we thought," O'Carroll added. "This means vital imports
   like fertilizer and industrial inputs will be lacking, compounding
   problems."

   On Tuesday,[2]NK Newsreported that the price of some imported goods
   increased dramatically, with a kilogram of bananas selling for as much
   as $45 in Pyongyang shops.

   Fears of a bad harvest are also mounting. During this week's Workers'
   Party meeting, Kim Jong Un acknowledged "the people's food situation is
   now getting tense," saying the North's agricultural sector failed to
   fulfill its grain production plan due to the damage by typhoons that
   hit the country last year.

   North Korea has faced what some analysts call the "triple whammy" of
   extreme weather, the coronavirus pandemic, and U.S.-led sanctions,
   which attempt to cut off North Korea from the global economy as
   punishment for its nuclear weapons program.

   U.S. President Joe Biden has said he is open to talks with North Korea,
   but Pyongyang has so far rejected the offer, saying the
   UnitedStatesneeds to drop its "hostile policy."

   North Korea experienced a devastating 1990s famine that killed at least
   hundreds of thousands, andpossibly millionsof people. Kim has
   repeatedly warnedcitizensthat theymust now overcome serious hardship,
   at times even evoking the same language used to describe the 1990s
   famine.However,there isvirtually noway to know the country's current
   situation, since most foreigners, including aid workers and diplomats,
   havedepartedbecause of the pandemic.

References

   1. https://www.nknews.org/2021/04/foreign-food-and-drinks-reappear-in-pyongyang-after-months-of-disrupted-trade/
   2. https://www.nknews.org/2021/06/price-spike-shampoo-now-selling-for-200-in-pyongyang-bananas-for-45/

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