{"id":4479,"date":"2020-02-13T16:22:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T07:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4479"},"modified":"2022-05-16T18:01:10","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T09:01:10","slug":"haien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2020\/02\/politics\/haien\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Rumors of Outbreak Spread: Was a Trade Official Executed for Trying to Escape Quarantine?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kim Jong-un, who last month sealed the border to prevent the spread of coronavirus from China. Photograph originally published by the Rodong Sinmun in May 2019<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Warning: Those who violate state measures shall be dealt with according to military law<\/h2>\n

Unconfirmed rumors of North Koreans infected with novel coronavirus are spreading across the country, causing widespread unrest among residents.<\/p>\n

A reporting partner living along the Chinese border in Hoeryong, North Hamkyung Province, told ASIAPRESS on February 7, that there is word going around that the coronavirus had spread to the nearby city of Rason. An active trade area, Rason is known to have many Chinese visitors.<\/p>\n

\"When I met up with foreign currency traders from Rason, they said that the coronavirus had already spread to the city and that a trade official, who had been in contact with a Chinese trader, had been arrested by police after trying to escape from a quarantine ward.\"<\/p>\n

However, there are also unconfirmed rumors that the escaping trade official was not arrested but, instead, shot dead on the spot.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner was eager to deliver the news from Rason, as authorities have also started reacting more strictly in Hoeryong.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner explained, \"The 'Anti-Socialist Censorship Group' has begun warning residents that 'those who violate the state's measures, such as quarantine, will be dealt with according to military law.' With such strong measures being taken, there is a growing suspicion among the people that the coronavirus has begun spreading in North Korea as well.\"<\/p>\n

\u203b The \u2018Anti-Socialist Censorship Group\u2019 is an official agency set up to clamp down on acts or behavior that threaten to \u201cdisrupt the socialist order.\u201d
\nNext page :Lack of trust in the regime a reason for spreading rumors...<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Map of North Korea (produced by ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Lack of trust in the regime a reason for spreading rumors<\/h2>\n

Another reporting partner, living in Musan County, North Hamkyung Province, told ASIAPRESS on February 6 that an announcement was made through a propaganda channel installed in all houses, \"criticizing individual citizens by name for spreading false rumors and raising their prices at markets.\"<\/p>\n

In Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, where trade volume between N. Korea and China is largest, rumors spread of two cases of infection in early February. Word of this spread to other areas, including Ryanggang Province, where it was then rumored that Sinuiju would soon be blocked off from the rest of the country. The authorities there are said to be making efforts to extinguish the rumors and calm down the local population.<\/p>\n

In addition, South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo reported on February 7 that they had received news from a source in North Korea that a woman in Pyongyang had been infected with the coronavirus. Whether true or not, word of a \"report from South Korea\" will likely spread throughout the North.<\/p>\n

The Kim Jong-un regime has repeatedly announced through the Rodong Sinmun and various TV broadcasts that \"the state's quarantine measures are thorough and that there are no cases of infection in the country.\" However, most North Koreans do not trust the state media and look to outside sources for more trustworthy information. ASIAPRESS reporting partners are no exception and have been inquiring regularly about the death toll in China and the severity of the disease.<\/p>\n

As imports of Chinese goods have been suspended due to the border blockade, the general public now fears that the economy will be thrown into chaos. Rather than fearing the coronavirus, they are afraid of inflation and a shortage of basic necessities. Especially in areas far from the Chinese border, citizens are much less concerned about the disease.<\/p>\n

New cases of infection were reported in China\u2019s Liaoning and Jilin Provinces, on the border with North Korea. The Kim Jong-un regime has blocked tourists from entering the country since January 22 and trade activity has been halted at the Chinese border since late January as well. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS contacts reporting partners in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

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