North Korea tightening borders to build ‘wall of defense’ against COVID-19
The new measures come despite North Korea insisting that it hasn’t had a single COVID-19 case.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}North Korea has tightened its borders to build a “wall of defense” against the COVID-19 pandemic, state media said Sunday.
The Hermit Kingdom has increased its number of guard posts and was “building a strong wall of defense at its borders,” CNN reported, citing state-run Korean Central News Agency.
The country is also working to “completely remove uncivilized and unhygienic elements that could help make room for the spread of an epidemic” during the winter, according to the report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}These measures will include new rules about venturing out to sea and collecting potentially contaminated materials.
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South Korean intelligence officials told lawmakers that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un banned fishing and salt production to prevent seawater from being infected with the virus.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ha Tae-keung, one of the South Korean officials briefed on the matter, said he had been told that the despot was displaying “excessive anger” and taking “irrational measures” over the pandemic and its economic repercussions.
The new measures come despite North Korea insisting that it hasn’t had a single COVID-19 case, though experts outside the country have been skeptical of that claim — pointing out that it shares a border with China, the original source of the outbreak.