North Korea is in the midst of a Covid catastrophe

As Covid spread throughout the world in 2020, North Korea slammed shut its borders. It was an approach that has paid off, until now. No longer Covid-free, the country’s state media has admitted that cases – and deaths – are exploding. Since April, over 1.2 million cases of a ‘fever’ – a euphemism for coronavirus – have been detected. North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un has said the arrival of the pandemic is a ‘great turmoil’.

Hundreds of thousands of cases – and 19 deaths – were reported yesterday alone in North Korea. In a country that prizes secrecy above all else, the true toll is likely to be even higher. But if North Korea is struggling to draw up a response, the country’s president is clear about one thing: who’s to blame. Kim has pointed the finger for the unfolding disaster at the infected, citing ‘careless’ drug use and a lack of awareness of how to treat the ‘fever’.