North Korea - 2019-nCov (new coronavirus) - N. Korean tests positive for COVID-19 in China - zero officially confirmed cases - Emergency declared in K

[Treyfish]

N. Korean soldiers die after suffering from fevers and breathing problems


The soldiers were stationed on the Sino-North Korean border; the authorities have blamed "acute pneumonia" for their deaths

By
Jeong Tae Joo
-
2020.03.20 9:07am
Three soldiers guarding the Sino-North Korean border in Chagang Province recently died after suffering from fevers and breathing problems, Daily NK has learned.

All of the soldiers were in their late teens and early twenties and were stationed at a sentry post near the Wiwon Dam in Chagang Province, according to a Daily NK source in the North Korean military.

They reportedly began suffering from fevers and severe breathing problems on the evening of Mar. 14, but had complained of fevers, coughing and headaches for three days. Despite their condition, they still continued to work and were told to take cold medicine and fever reducers.

When the soldiers began suffering from intense fevers and severe breathing problems, they were sent to the emergency room in a local hospital in Kanggye’s Sokhyon neighborhood.

All three of the soldiers died on Mar. 16, two days after they had been admitted to the hospital.

“The soldiers’ corpses are still in the hospital mortuary. Their bodies will be disinfected and then transported back to their military unit for burial,” the source said.

PANIC IN THE RANKS.....


:tiphat:https://www.dailynk.com/english/nort...hing-problems/

 

[Treyfish]

N.K. paper calls for unconditional adherence to coronavirus quarantine rules

North Korea 10:18 March 23, 2020

SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's main newspaper called Monday for "unconditional and absolute" adherence to coronavirus quarantine regulations, saying allowing exceptions to the law could affect the very existence of the country.

The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North's ruling Workers' Party, made the appeal in an editorial, stressing that it is also an important political issue for all people to strictly abide by regulations and order established under the national emergency quarantine system.

"If there are people who do not abide by the law among those who do, it gravely affects the existence and progress of the country ... respecting and following the law is an obligation that cannot be violated," the paper said.

"Every citizen should obey the leadership and control of the central and regional emergency quarantine centers of all levels in an uncon...:tiphat:https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2020032...?section=nk/nk

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...s-covid-19-russia-sanctions-pandemic-migrants

North Korea risks coronavirus eruption by defying UN and sending migrants abroad
NORTH Korea is ready to send migrant workers across the border to Russia to generate much needed foreign cash, despite the coronavirus pandemic which has paralysed the world's economy.
By Ciaran McGrath
PUBLISHED: 14:35, Mon, Mar 30, 2020 | UPDATED: 15:32, Mon, Mar 30, 2020

And given analysts believe the Hermit state must itself be badly hit by COVID-19, the move risks exporting cases into President Vladimir Putin's nation. In accordance with sanctions imposed by the United Nations last year to deprive Pyongyang of cash necessary to fund its nuclear and missile programmes, migrant workers were sent back. However, a citizen of Korean descent in Vladivostok, the Russian city close to the border with North Korea, told Radio Free Asia: “The North Koreans who withdrew last year because of sanctions are preparing to enter Russia again....

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/world/north...world-health-organization-prevention-no-cases


...North Korea may claim it has no coronavirus infections, but the country still is getting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the World Health Organization to contain the deadly virus.

Data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows the WHO will spend $900,000 to support North Korea's efforts to fight COVID-19...

 

[Sally Furniss]

Family of five died Qingjin area of North Hamgyong-do province. Died because quarantined at home and could not receive treatment. North Korean citizens must be quanantined at home and sealed with spikes to prevent them going out. https://www.chinapress.com.my/202004...b%b0%e6%ad%bb/

 

[Treyfish]

'Scores' of N.Korean Soldiers Dead of Coronavirus

• By Kim Myong-song

• March 30, 2020 12:22

More than 100 North Korean stationed near the Chinese border are thought to have died of coronavirus since late February, the Yomiuri Shimbun claimed Sunday.

The Japanese daily quoted intelligence sources from South Korea, the U.S., and Japan as saying the outbreak started in the border region but is now spreading across the impoverished country, and military training has been halted.
...
Last week, the official [North] Koran Central News Agency said that about 2,280 North Koreans including returnees from abroad and those who came into contact with them have been put "under medical monitoring"...
:tiphat:http://english.chosun.com/site/data/...033002728.html

 

[Treyfish]

Smugglers Beaten as North Korea Applies Military Law in COVID-19 Response

2020-04-03


Two smugglers were savagely beaten by a North Korean anti-smuggling task force this month as the country’s tolerance of smuggling across the border with China has given way to a crackdown due to concern over coronavirus, a source near the border told RFA’s Korean Service.

North Korea, which Wednesday claimed it was completely COVID-19-free, has been taking extensive precautions, including closing the border with China to all legitimate trade and an order from leader Kim Jong Un issued to deal with smugglers harshly to discourage the spread of the pathogen from China.

An incident this month in Ryanggang Province showed that North Korea has deployed crack troops to stop border crossings and the special forces are beating anyone who approaches the Yalu River border with next-door China.

“In mid-March, two residents of Kimjongsook county here in Ryanggang Province were attacked by guards at a border guard post while attempting to smuggle a bundle of goods from [across] the Yalu river,” resident of Ryanggang province told RFA’s Korean Service.

“The six soldiers were staking out the border,” added the source.

The guards who attacked the smugglers were not the typical border guards, but members of a maneuver company under the 25[SUP]th[/SUP] brigade of the 252[SUP]nd[/SUP] regiment of the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] battalion of the Ryanggang provincial border patrol, the source said.

“[They] do not have a fixed guard post. During the day they work by collecting firewood for the company, but when it gets dark, they choose an area where they suspect smuggling is happening and stake it out in groups of three,” said the source.

“The two residents did not know there were undercover guards there and they were severely assaulted that day while trying to bring their goods across,” the source added.

Smuggling goods from China is a way of life for many who live close to the border.

While technically illegal, smuggling is a vital part of an economy where many people are unable to survive on a paltry government salary.

North Korean authorities have long tolerated the most common form of smuggling in which North...:tiphat:https://www.rfa.org/english/news/kor...020175211.html

 

[Treyfish]

North Korea "Emergency Prevention Before Corona Extermination"… 500 quarantines? Expert analysis. A trick to show the world a North Korean presence

-Held the National Emergency Prevention Project General Meeting ... "Criticism of chronic response to quarantine"
-Speed ​​in developing emergency prevention information system ... Joined the local sanitation prevention information network
-Concealment of Corona 19 facts, such as Commander of the US Forces Korea, Robert Abrams, to show North Korea's presence in the world

• Staff Reporter Jeong Jin-ah [email]shfk64@gmail.com[/email]
• Registration 2020.04.03 18:07:24

• On the 3rd, North Korea announced plans to maintain a national emergency prevention system until the end of the world's corona19, with about 500 people currently in quarantine to prevent the introduction of the new coronavirus infection.

According to Yonhap News, Chosun Central Communications and Chosun Central Broadcasting Corporation held a national emergency prevention project general meeting on this day. "Positive safety data from the National Safety and Security and People's P
https://translate.googleusercontent....KMEKKy5DtMi0wA

 

[Treyfish]

Kimchi Immunity?: Residents Latch onto Coronavirus Rumors as Understaffed Hospitals Start Screening Patients Over the Phone

◆ A firsthand look at the hospitals


As of March 22, the North Korean government has continued to announce that there are no coronavirus infections within the country. Meanwhile, rumors swirl among the populace of numerous infections and deaths.

Neither the rumors nor the word of the government can be confirmed as the truth. However, a survey by ASIAPRESS finds that, despite the poor condition of North Korea’s medical system, the regime is rolling out sensible prevention measures and imposing quarantines where needed.

◆ Physical examinations conducted over the phone to screen a rising number of residents with symptoms

....According to the reporting partner, “Patients are supposed to list their symptoms over the phone before coming to the hospital. If the patient describes symptoms of tuberculosis or a cold such as coughing or a fever, the doctor will instruct them to stay away from the hospital and prescribe fever reducers or cold medicine over the phone. The patient is then supposed to go to a pharmacy to buy the medicine. The only patients currently admitted to hospitals are those who need surgery and those with fractures, etc.”

Following the investigation conducted by the reporting partner in Hyesan and similar investigations of hospitals and clinics by reporting partners in other areas, one can summarize the regime’s COVID-19 response measures thusly:

• Those with cold-like symptoms should contact the quarantine center first.
• Those who do so are instructed to fill out a registration card, recording their address, place of work, and recent activities.
• Extra care is to be taken when examining patients who work for trading companies or live near the Yalu River by the Chinese border.
• Doctors examining patients with tuberculosis or cold-like symptoms should keep a distance of 2 meters or more.
• Countermeasures and response action will be reported daily to the city hospital, which is to act as a base of response operations.

◆ Warning to the Chinese across the border: “Those seen dumping into the river will be shot”

...
Doctors have been warned to be wary of patients residing near the Yalu River due to the regime’s vigilance against the virus being transmitted from across the Chinese border. North Korean authorities have banned residents from washing their clothes or collecting water from the banks of the Yalu River since around February 7. Border guards have also been banned from using river water, so soldiers are said to be collecting water from private homes nearby.

.....

In addition, the regime has been sticking to propagandistic claims of “zero infections.” According to reporting partners, the claims are meant to create an impression among residents that “there are not yet any infected persons in Ryanggang Province.”..
http://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang...avirus-rumors/

 

[Treyfish]

Bases on Lockdown and Annual Enlistment Delayed to Prevent Spread of Coronavirus

2020.03.26
“Soldiers have all but disappeared from the streets”

In mid-March, ASIAPRESS asked a reporting partner from Ryanggang Province in the northern region of North Korea to investigate the movements of military personnel in response to the coronavirus crisis.

To provide background, the number of troops in the Korean People’s Army stands at 1 million, slightly less than 5% of the overall population. Soldiers are, therefore, a common sight in any city around the country. Besides when they are on leave or on the move in convoys, soldiers are frequently seen leaving the barracks to shop or eat at local markets.

This is no longer the case, however. As to why, the reporting partner explained:

“To prevent the spread of coronavirus within the military, the nearby Army headquarters has prohibited all soldiers from leaving the base. ...http://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang...orona-soldier/

 

[Treyfish]

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on March 24 that sanctions had “impeded” the ability of North Korea to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“At this crucial time, both for global public health reasons, and to support the rights and lives of millions of people in these countries, sectoral sanctions should be eased or suspended,” she said. “In a context of global pandemic, impeding medical efforts in one country heightens the risk for all of us.” The comment is despite North Korea’s claim that COVID-19 does not exist inside DPRK borders.

 

[Treyfish]

Infectious Diseases Prevention Act amended and supplemented in Korea


Date: 05/04/2020 | Source: Voice of Korea (EN) | Read original version at source

The Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK recently amended and supplemented the Infectious Diseases Prevention Act.

One chapter and 8 articles were added to the former act. The amended and supplemented act consists of 6 chapters and 53 articles.

It deals in detail with legal requirements for prevention of the infectious diseases such as detection of source of infection, quarantine and interception of spreading routes.https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1586...ented-in-korea

 

[Treyfish]

DPRK intensifies anti-epidemic work


Date: 03/04/2020 | Source: Voice of Korea (EN)

The DPRK is further intensifying the state emergency anti-epidemic work for strictly preventing the inflow of epidemic disease to cope with the worldwide spread of COVID-19.

... Under the unified command of the central emergency anti-epidemic headquarters, all of those under the medical observation have been freed in North Phyongan, South Hwanghae, Jagang, Kangwon and South Hamgyong Provinces and Kaesong City. Some 500 are still left to be under medical observation throughout the country....https://kcnawatch.org/newstream/1585...epidemic-work/

 

[Treyfish]

South Korea approves first coronavirus-related private aid for North Korea
ROK also set to donate $ 5.73 million to help DPRK with typhoon recovery, maternal and child health
Jeongmin Kim April 2, 2020

South Korea on Thursday granted approval to a private organization to send coronavirus-related aid to the North, the first such permission since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus early this year.

The news comes two months after concerns over the spread of the virus led to the temporary closure of the Inter-Korean Liaison office Kaesong in January, as part of a broader closure of the DPRK’s borders that month.

Approval for sending the aid was granted on Tuesday, an official from South Korea’s Ministry of Unification (MOU) told reporters on Thursday.

The private organization — which has not been named — will send “hand sanitizers” worth around 100 million KRW ($80,887) to the North.

Private organizations in South Korea require government approval to send aid to the DPRK, and must present detailed procurement and transportation plans, sign an agreement with North Korean interlocutors, and ensure the goods will be distributed in a transparent fashion, before securing it.

Those requirements have now been met, the MOU official said Thursday, with the organization reportedly financing the items on its own.

“They wish to keep the name of the organization, the route, and timing of transfer [of items] not open to public… to pursue the project smoothly,” the unification ministry official told reporters......
https://www.nknews.org/2020/04/seoul...r-north-korea/

 

[Treyfish]

Export controls, border closures preventing delivery of aid to North Korea: IFRC
NGO won exemption from UN sanctions in February, is set to send 10,000 coronavirus test kits to the DPRK
Jeongmin Kim April 3, 2020


The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is yet to procure or deliver coronavirus-related aid to North Korea due to “export restrictions” and the country’s effective closure of its borders, the organization told NK News on Friday.

“IFRC is working on getting the critical items that have been requested by Red Cross Society of DPRK to the people who need them as quickly as possible,” Ellie Van Baaren, a spokesperson for the NGO, said in an email.

“There are a number of factors to consider in this process,” she continued, explaining that the “global shortage of personal protective equipment and the consequent export restrictions by some countries” were hampering the organization’s plans to procure the items for North Korea.

“Given the global shortage of supplies and items being available in different locations, we are still in the process of procuring the items,” she said, adding that “border closures and the restrictions on incoming goods to DPRK” were another factor delaying the delivery.

The IFRC received an exemption from international sanctions from the UN in late February to deliver equipment needed for the country’s efforts to prevent and manage a potential outbreak of COVID-19.

But while the sanctions exemption request was approved by the UN relatively quickly, it appears that the test kits will not be able to reach Pyongyang anytime soon.

North Korea on Friday reiterated claims that the country has zero coronavirus cases, with state media reporting that 500 people remain under “medical observation” in its territory.

But whether the country even has the capacity to diagnose those suspected to be infected with the illness remains unclear... https://www.nknews.org/2020/04/ifrc-...tems-for-dprk/

 

[Treyfish]

Critical Condition: Bank Begins Disinfecting Bills as Coronavirus Causes Local Currency to Sink and Prices to Soar
2020.04.06

North Korean authorities reportedly ordered the central bank to begin disinfecting currency and replacing contaminated bills in order to prevent coronavirus infections.

On March 29, a reporting partner from a northern region of the country said, “Since [March] 24, the bank has been collecting and disinfecting banknotes and exchanging old bills for new ones. Institutions, enterprises, and trading companies are exchanging about a third of the bills they use for payments and are disinfecting the rest. It will take about a week.”

At local people’s unit (inminban) meetings too, citizens have been told that it is a requirement for them to disinfect their cash. This prevention measure is said to be rather ineffective, however, as few residents choose to hold onto North Korean currency in the first place. Aside from the local currency they receive from trading companies in exchange for wild herbs, ordinary citizens use Chinese currency almost exclusively in their everyday lives.
◆ North Korean Won continues to decline as locals use foreign currency for “protection”


Meanwhile, investigations show that the value of the North Korean won continues to decline due to the influence of the coronavirus pandemic.... http://www.asiapress.org/rimjin-gang...fecting-bills/

 

[Treyfish]

Here is another case of nobody seeing anything..

North Korea testing, quarantining for COVID-19, still says no cases - WHO representative


Stephanie Nebehay
3 MIN READ
GENEVA (Reuters) - North Korea, one of only a handful of countries not to have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, has said that it continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters on Tuesday.
The WHO, which said it had been receiving “weekly updates” from the health ministry, said that the reclusive country had the capacity to test coronaviruses in its national reference laboratory in the capital Pyongyang.

“As of 2 April, 709 people - 11 foreigners and 698 nationals - have been tested for COVID-19. There is no report of a COVID-19 case. There are 509 people in quarantine – two foreigners and 507 nationals,” Dr. Edwin Salvador, the WHO Representative to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), said in an email reply.

“Since 31 December, 24,842 people have been released from quarantine, which includes 380 foreigners,” he said.

The WHO has been informed that...“We are on lockdown ... We are very cautious about the spread of this virus,” a North Korean diplomat at its U.N. mission in Geneva told Reuters. “I understand we have no cases, zero cases.” https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-he...-idUKKBN21P3BE

 

[Treyfish]

Sources: N. Korea’s schools to reopen on Apr. 17


Education ministry still plans to hold extra classes during the summer break to make up for the extended period of school closures

By
Jeong Tae Joo
-
2020.04.14 9:34am
North Korea’s education ministry has announced that schools will reopen on Apr. 17, backtracking on an Apr. 3 decision to keep schools closed until the end of the month, Daily NK has learned.

The decision to reopen schools was handed down on Apr. 10 “due to concerns expressed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un,” a Daily NK source in the country said on Apr. 13.

Kim reportedly expressed concern that moving the country’s students to online classes would be too burdensome given the “poor state” of the country’s intranet and suggested that continuing to delay the start of school could create “major gaps” in educating the country’s children.

Kim’s comments effectively rev..
https://www.dailynk.com/english/sour...reopen-apr-17/

 

[Treyfish]

N. Korea's paper urges absolute obedience of antivirus guidelines

By Yonhap
Published : Apr 14, 2020 - 09:21 Updated : Apr 14, 2020 - 09:21

North Korea's official newspaper called Tuesday for absolute obedience of anti-coronavirus guidelines, urging people not to let their guard down as the country is bracing for a long fight against the global pandemic.

North Korea claims to have no confirmed COVID-19 infection, but the country has taken drastic preventive measures at an early stage, such as closing its border with China and toughening quarantine criteria.

"What we have to stay away from is to be complacent about the achievements that we have made and letting our guard down," the Rodong Sinmun, the organ of the North's ruling party, said. "That can never be tolerated in carrying out preventive efforts aimed at safeguarding the safety of our people."

The paper said that some citizens are loosening up th..http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200414000091

 

[Treyfish]

North Korean authorities say there are confirmed coronavirus cases: report

• Officials have been telling citizens in public lecturers that there are Covid-19 cases in the country, according to a report citing sources in Pyongyang and Ryanggang provinces
• Authorities have long insisted that the pandemic had not entered North Korea’s shores

Reuters and Kyodo
Published: 9:17pm, 18 Apr, 2020


North Korean authorities told citizens in public lectures that there were confirmed cases of the
coronavirus
in the country as early as the end of March, in contrast to official Pyongyang claims that it has not had any confirmed cases, Radio Free Asia reported on late Friday.

The lecturers, speaking to organisations and neighbourhood watch groups, said there were Covid-19 cases within the country, without giving any numbers, RFA said, citing two sources, one in Pyongyang and one in Ryanggang province.

The lecturers said the confirmed cases were in Pyongyang, South Hwanghae province and North Hamgyong province, RFA reported.

North Hamgyong is in the northeast region of the country, while South Hwanghae is in the southwest...:tiphat:https://www.scmp.com/print/news/asia...ed-coronavirus