{"id":4729,"date":"2020-10-25T19:57:55","date_gmt":"2020-10-25T10:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4729"},"modified":"2022-05-16T18:01:09","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T09:01:09","slug":"real-covid-nk1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2020\/10\/recommendations\/real-covid-nk1\/","title":{"rendered":"The Real Coronavirus Situation in North Korea (Part 1): Kim Jong-un Admits to Outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The cover of a top-secret document entitled \u201cThe Words of Comrade Kim Jong-un at the Party\u2019s Central Committee Meeting of July 25.\u201d Photo by ASIAPRESS<\/p><\/div>\n

Kim Jong-un, wrapped snugly in a gray suit, delivered a speech to Kim Il-sung Square at the stroke of midnight on October 10, marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers\u2019 Party of Korea.<\/p>\n

In his speech, Kim Jong-un declared total victory over the coronavirus and repeated claims of zero infections, remarking \u201cThank you so much for being healthy- we are without a single victim of this malignant virus. We have been able to protect everyone in this country from the terrible plague that is sweeping around the world.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

77 days prior, however, at a July 25 emergency meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers\u2019 Party, Kim Jong-un made quite the opposite statement. ASIAPRESS recently obtained an internally released document which detailed the \u201cWords of Comrade Kim Jong-un at the July 25 Emergency Meeting.\u201d<\/strong> This top-secret<\/strong> 7-page document was produced for the benefit of a limited group of officials and read thusly:<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite the fact that strong emergency quarantine measures have been taken throughout the country over the past 6 months, we have ultimately not been able to block the entry of the coronavirus at our borders.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

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At a party meeting on July 25, Kim Jong-un admitted, \u201cWe have not been able to block the entry of the coronavirus.\u201d Photo by ASIAPRESS<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cOur country is faced with a dangerous health crisis too horrible to previously imagine.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have finally come into direct contact with the deadly virus that is ripping through the world, we must now do away with discouragement, concern, and fear and demonstrate infinite faith and responsibility in carrying out the orders of the Party\u2019s central leadership and unite to come out as the winner of today\u2019s quarantine battle.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

To recap, Kim Jong-un\u2019s declaration of victory over the virus on October 10, was preceded 3 months earlier by the leader acknowledging confirmed coronavirus cases in the country.<\/p>\n

On July 26, the day after the emergency meeting, state media, including Chosun Central News, reported a summary of the Political Bureau\u2019s emergency meeting. This report included news of a possible coronavirus case from a defector returning to Kaesong from South Korea by swimming across the military demarcation line on October 19. But why would the report fail to mention Kim Jong-un\u2019s acknowledgement of the coronavirus cases in North Korea?<\/p>\n

During the 6 days between the defector\u2019s return to Kaesong and the Political Bureau\u2019s emergency meeting, the authorities were likely debating whether to acknowledge domestic cases of coronavirus infections, with the defector\u2019s return from South Korea as the catalyst. This would have allowed the authorities to blame South Korea for the influx of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

NextPage: \u25c6North Korea becomes a black hole due to the coronavirus...<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2bc1North Korea becomes a black hole due to the coronavirus<\/h2>\n

Since the early 2000\u2019s, ASIAPRESS has teamed up with people living in various parts of North Korea to cover the domestic situation in the North. Since a few years ago, reporting partners have been able to use Chinese smartphones in areas close to the Chinese border, where Chinese radio waves enable reporting partners to make calls and emails.<\/p>\n

When news of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan became known in late January, North Korean authorities blocked the border with China. Trade and inbound travel from foreign countries was almost entirely restricted. Foreign reporters- even from friendly countries such as Russia and China- were not allowed to enter the country at all.<\/p>\n

To find out the situation of coronavirus infections in North Korea, ASIAPRESS asked local reporting partners to investigate local hospitals and quarantine offices and to try to obtain internal documents of the Workers\u2019 Party and other administrative agencies. The documents introduced in this report were secretly obtained and photographed in North Korea. (ISHIMARU Jiro)
\nThe Real Coronavirus Situation in North Korea (Part 2) >><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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