North Korea suspected its first COVID-19 case as a defector returned from South Korea with symptoms of COVID-19 after illegally crossing the border three years ago.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held an emergency politburo meeting in light of this.
It is a “critical situation in which the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country,” he said as he declared a state of emergency and imposed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong.
It was not sure whether the person went through a test. However, “uncertain result was made from several medical check-ups of the secretion of that person’s upper respiratory organ and blood,” reported Korean Central News Agency.
This prompted officials to quarantine the person and investigate anyone he may have been in contact with.
Russia had given North Korea a significant number of testing kits when thousands were quarantined. Restrictions have recently eased.
If this case is confirmed, this will be North Korea’s first COVID-19 case acknowledged by officials.
Kim Jong Un recently started a campaign to criticize defectors calling them human scum.
He has ordered an investigation into the military units along the border where the person was suspected of crossing. This is to “administer a severe punishment and take necessary measures,” he said.
Source: Reuters