NKorea: Pyongyang Locks Down for 'Respiratory Illness'

Facts

• On Monday the North Korean government reportedly ordered a five-day lockdown of the country's capital, Pyongyang. The lockdown was attributed to an increase in cases of unnamed respiratory illness.
• Sources within the North stated that residents are required to remain in their homes with a mandate for temperature assessments from Wednesday to Sunday of this week. The Russian embassy stated that Pyongyang's State of Emergency Anti-Epidemic Command issued the order due to an increase in seasonal flu infections and "other respiratory diseases."
• It was not immediately clear if the lockdown extends beyond Pyongyang. While the North declared that the country had eradicated COVID in Aug. 2022, experts fear the lockdown is due to a COVID wave and that the virus has returned.
• Residents have reportedly been warned that if they are caught spreading rumors or providing medicines on the black market they could be subjected to capital punishment or have their family members banished.
• On Tuesday, as rumors spread that the city would be locked down, residents reportedly began panic buying large amounts of food. Stores began utilizing staff members to conduct temperature checks on shoppers.
• In May 2022, North Korea reported its first outbreak of the novel virus and called it the "greatest turmoil" to siege the country in more than 70 years. The secrecy of the North Korean government has left the true toll of COVID on the isolated nation a mystery; experts continue to fear a serious humanitarian crisis is developing.

Sources: Guardian, Voa, NK News, Mirror, and CNN.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by NPR. Kim Jong Un declared victory against COVID but the international community disputes this. His easing of restrictions to carry on with his economic priorities is reckless and dangerous. Reducing mitigation measures and blaming others will likely catalyze a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions upon citizens who are already suffering.
• Narrative B, as provided by 38 North. North Korea locked down before, and its reopening bolstered relations with Russia and China. As the international community moves past COVID, the door opens for a deeper trilateral alliance between the DPRK, Russia, and China that is significant on the world stage. The North is ready for these new geopolitical activities in a post-pandemic world.

Predictions