North Korea has insisted that throughout the worldwide pandemic, their country has remained COVID-free. Up until now, this was largely possible because of North Korea’s rapid and strict response to the virus. Since the onset of COVID, North Korea responded by enforcing a strict border closing. National borders have been closed since the beginning of February 2020.

However, two years of national border closings have taken a toll on the North Korean economy, which relied heavily upon trade with China. And as a result, North Korea slowly began re-opening its borders to allow select shipments into the country, including freight trains from Dandong, China into Pyongyang, North Korea.

It is possible that this was the cause of Pyongyang’s official announcement on May 12th that the first case of COVID has now been discovered. State media has confirmed that an Omicron outbreak has occurred in Pyongyang. Recent April 25th mass holiday celebrations in the capital could have expedited the spread of the disease. One person has died from the virus, and 350,000 people have shown signs of infection with already 162,200 of them receiving treatment for COVID-19.

However, of primary concern is that this outbreak is occurring during the planting season in North Korea. Currently, people are working in large groups on corporate farms. Individuals have been assigned to farm work to an even larger degree since the borders closed. With North Korea’s ideology emphasizing self-reliance, the country has been attempting to feed its population without relying upon outside support. As a result, much of the workforce has been reassigned to corporate farms.

Unfortunately, these conditions could potentially lead to a perfect environment for the virus to transmit at a rapid rate. On top of this, North Korea has rejected all international offers for COVID aid till this point. The population of over 25 million people is vastly unvaccinated, and therefore, extremely vulnerable to the viral outbreak.

Combined with a lack of resources from two years of isolation, there are serious concerns regarding this particular outbreak. Pyongyang has instituted “maximum emergency” measures including a nation-wide lockdown.  Knowing the condition of their medical system, the country will need not only large dosages of vaccinations but also assistance for medical treatment, including basic drug treatment and oxygen therapy.