Three years after the comprehensive report presented on “The Human Costs and Gendered Impact of Sanctions on North Korea” sanctions continue to negatively impact North Korea. The above report details direct, unintended consequences of blanket sanctions against the nation. Approximately 4,000 North Koreans were estimated to have died as a result of sanctions in the year of 2018 alone. Also, it was approximated that about 40% of the population lacked sufficient access to nutritious food, clean drinking water, and basic services such as health and sanitation.

These statistics were reported prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent the spread of COVID within the country, North Korea has since closed its national borders, beginning in February of 2020. Select few imports and practically no exports have crossed the border. People have also been prevented from traveling to and from the country in order to protect North Korea’s citizens from the pandemic. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated in 2020 that closer to 60% of the population could be food insecure.

With years of sanctions imposed upon North Korea, particularly since 2017, the country has few resources to rely upon during difficult times. According to the UN’s Special Rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights, Mr. Tomas Quintana, “DPR Korea has never been more isolated from the international community than at this point in time.” Mr. Tomas Quintana acknowledged that the North Korean government is investing in efforts to prevent starvation in the country, and he has also urged all parties involved to find a peaceful solution to the conflict on the Korean Peninsula. He particularly advised a two-track approach including both accountability and engagement, putting a lot of effort into engaging with the North Korean government. 

In his report to the Security Council, Mr. Quintana acknowledged that the situation of the sanction’s regime has had an impact on the humanitarian field. In his speech to the press he cited specific problems with banks and customs clearances. “A lot of problems are directly related to the sanction’s regime,” he confessed, “and it continues to be a situation of concern.” He specifically recommended that the Security Council and the 1718 Sanctions Committee re-evaluate sanctions and when necessary ease sanctions that bring obstacles not only to humanitarian assistance but also to ordinary people to make their livelihoods, for example in the textile and seafood industries. 

He recognized that there is a human rights aspect to the sanctions, but he also emphasized that it is a paradox in the sense that the Sanctions Committee needs to be quite strong, while at the same time North Korea faces a humanitarian crisis. In conclusion, he urged the Security Council and Sanctions Committee to contemplate the COVID-19 pandemic situation, and when necessary ease sanctions.

Although North Korea has been offered some donations of the COVID vaccine, it has yet to accept any. Possible difficulties with vaccine storage as well as distribution may be the reason for such a refusal. However, it also may be unlikely that the country will re-open its borders until the entire population is vaccinated and sufficient medical procedures are in place, allowing the country to respond to any potential COVID infections.

Historically, North Korea has closed its borders for all pandemics. In the past decade or so, this has included the Ebola outbreak, SARS, and MERS pandemics. Even though these viruses never reached North Korea, the country typically responded to threats of infectious diseases through measures of quarantine and isolation.

This is even true for infectious disease outbreaks within their own nation. During our ten years of living in North Korea, our daughter was once suspected of having chicken pox. This was because of a possible incident of chicken pox identified in her school. As all children were medically examined for the chicken pox rash, our daughter was discovered to have a blemish on her skin. But instead of conducting a thorough medical examination, she was automatically prescribed two weeks of quarantine at home. She later returned to school 10 days later, but she never did come down with the chicken pox.

This example demonstrates that North Korea has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic according to their frequently used medical practices as well as their available resources. Unless the pandemic is completely resolved world-wide, more medical expertise, training, and assistance will prove necessary to bring the country out of isolation.

In light of the current global pandemic, even the 1718 Sanctions Committee acknowledges that unintended consequences of the sanctions have impacted North Korea. Unfortunately, regardless of the complicated pandemic circumstances, sanctions continue to aggravate an already difficult situation. Prior to national border closings, North Korea’s economy was suffering. Unfortunately, sanctions compound these economic hardships, continuing to directly impact the ordinary people of North Korea, particularly women and children, their health and well-being.