North Korea has long proclaimed its success in combating COVID-19 without resorting to vaccines, asserting that only 74 individuals perished in what it describes as “a miracle unprecedented in the world’s public health history.” However, a recent report released on Tuesday contradicts these claims and uncovers significant shortcomings in the government's response, which left many citizens unassisted during the pandemic.
The report, created by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies alongside the George W. Bush Institute, details how the already dire economic and health conditions for ordinary North Koreans deteriorated further as the government attempted to conceal the reality of the virus's spread, particularly in the initial two years of the pandemic. The regime's repeated refusals of international assistance and strict impositions on personal movement exacerbated the struggles of its populace, according to the report's findings.
Based on rare interviews with 100 individuals within North Korea, conducted through an intermediary, the authors gained valuable insight into the extent of human suffering during this tumultuous period. Testimonies reflected grim realities, with one woman recounting that nursing homes saw so many deaths in the winter of 2020 that they “ran out of coffins.”
The report asserts that deaths and suffering due to suspected COVID-19 cases were prevalent in North Korea starting in 2020, far earlier than the government's official acknowledgment of its first outbreak in May 2022. The authors described the regime's neglect as “nothing short of abominable.”
Interviewees revealed alarming statistics: nearly 90% had not been tested for COVID-19, almost 40% reported that they did not receive any vaccinations throughout the pandemic, and 92% suspected they or acquaintances had contracted the virus, with no means to confirm it.
Local health officials were found to misreport COVID-19 deaths and diagnoses, motivated by fear of repercussions from a government adamant that there were no cases. Citizens also hesitated to report illnesses, knowing that doing so would not yield assistance but could lead to forced quarantines or even collective lockdowns, further aggravating extreme food shortages.
