◀ anchor ▶
The corona situation in North Korea is dire.
The number of new fever cases is approaching 300,000 per day as the spread is getting out of hand.
North Korea, which lacks diagnostic kits, counts fever patients, so the actual number of infections may be higher.
The South Korean government announced earlier this week that it would propose working-level contact with North Korea for humanitarian aid to COVID-19.
Reporter Shin Jeong-yeon reports.
◀ Report ▶
People and cars completely disappeared from the streets.
Only quarantine agents go around the city and spray disinfectant.
This is a picture of downtown Pyongyang, North Korea, which has been under lockdown since the 12th.
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There are 296,180 new cases of fever per day, which are estimated to be infected with COVID-19.
On the 12th, when the first official announcement of the infection, the number of 18,000 people exploded tenfold in one day, and then the number is increasing rapidly enough to approach 300,000 the next day.
The cumulative death toll was 42.
[조선중앙TV]
“Workers in the health sector stepped out together in the battle for treatment with the determination to firmly defend the outpost of the emergency quarantine project.”
However, since most North Koreans have not been vaccinated, there is concern that the actual number of infections will be much larger.
Due to the poor medical environment, North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun is introducing folk remedies every day, such as “Eat honey when coughing.”
In this regard, the government decided to directly propose a working-level contact to the North to support the prevention of COVID-19 earlier this week.
The Ministry of Unification said, “We will make a related proposal as soon as possible as there is a need for a quick response due to the spread of Corona 19 in North Korea.”
The plan is to discuss the scale and method of providing vaccines and medicines to North Korea through working-level contacts.
However, it is unclear whether the North will readily accept our proposal.
[양무진/ 북한대학원대학교 교수]
“The outcome of the Korea-US summit will be an important criterion. If we strongly condemn North Korea’s provocations and what human rights do, there are international organizations or China and Russia.
The timing of the proposal for the working-level contact is expected to be decided through full-fledged internal consultations tomorrow, when Unification Minister Kwon Young-se officially takes office.
This is Jeongyeon Shin from MBC News.
Video Editing: Lee Hyun-sun
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