Top U.S. Commander ‘Fairly Certain’ North Korea Has Virus Cases

  • Abrams says Pyongyang has halted military activity for a month
  • North Korea claims zero coronavirus cases, tightens quarantine

An employee disinfects public spaces at Pyongyang International Airport on March 9. 

Photographer: Yevgeny Agoshkov/TASS via Getty Images

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The U.S. is “fairly certain” that there are coronavirus cases in North Korea, despite denials by Pyongyang, because of a lack of military activity, according to a senior American army commander.

North Korea’s military has “fundamentally been on lockdown” for almost a month and didn’t fly a single aircraft for 24 days before resuming its routine training, Commander of the U.S. Forces Korea Robert Abrams told reporters in a teleconference briefing on Friday.