Prognosis
Who Knows How Many Virus Cases North Korea Has. It Says Zero
- U.S. commander cites signs virus likely in North Korea
- Outbreak could overwhelm North Korea and rattle region
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Bordered by China and South Korea, two early victims of coronavirus, Kim Jong Un’s North Korea claims it has evaded the pandemic with no cases of infection. Diplomats and experts piecing together the clues see a different picture.
Kim brought his already isolated country to a near standstill by sealing the borders in January to stop the virus, which halted the trickle of legal trade and tourism. But even that may not have been enough. The U.S. is “fairly certain” there are coronavirus cases in North Korea because of a noticeable lack of military activity, General Robert Abrams, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, told reporters in a teleconference briefing last Friday.