North Korea's Covid-19 Claims Challenged by New Report

For a long time, North Korea has insisted it triumphed over the Covid-19 pandemic, claiming only 74 lives were lost, which it branded as an "unprecedented miracle" in global public health. However, a report released on Tuesday indicates that the North Korean government has not been truthful about the situation, as many people were left without adequate medical care or assistance from the outside world during the pandemic.

The report, prepared by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the George W. Bush Institute, outlines how the pandemic exacerbated the already dire economic and public health conditions faced by ordinary North Koreans. The government's refusal to acknowledge the virus's spread and its stringent measures to limit movement hindered any potential alleviation of their citizens' suffering, particularly in the initial two years of the pandemic.

Based on rare interviews with 100 individuals inside the secluded nation, facilitated by an external intermediary, the findings shed light on the extensive human suffering experienced during the pandemic. One interviewee recounted the alarming number of deaths in nursing homes during the winter of 2020, mentioning, "there weren’t enough coffins" to accommodate those who passed away. The report concludes that deaths and distress linked to suspected Covid-19 cases were prevalent in North Korea as early as 2020, well before the regime acknowledged its first outbreak in May 2022.