North Korea has only confirmed one suspected case of COVID-19, but observers believe there are many people infected. North Korea has no means to defend itself against the microscopic virus. “There’s no vaccine, there are no medicines and there are no tests,” Brother Simon says. “How are people going to survive? The central government and local authorities are very fearful of the spread of coronavirus. The only thing they can do is impose lockdowns. Even many market places are closed down, even though the population is completely dependent on the black markets. But even if [the markets were] open, there’s little food you can buy. And prices have quadrupled. It will cost you multiple months’ salary to buy a kilo of rice. Even corn is very expensive. The border with China is closed, which prevents most trade and smuggling activities.”
According to local sources, North Korean laborers who worked abroad brought the virus into the country. Many of these workers were originally from the capital city of Pyongyang and returned there, making the city one a coronavirus hotspot. “The government doesn’t really know what to do,” says Brother Simon. “Kim Jong Un has even left Pyongyang to decrease the chance of him getting ill. He is young, but overweight and has a heart condition. He must have not felt safe, which is why he went to Wonsan. He’s probably still there.”
2020 has been a very difficult year for North Koreans, according to secret Christians who have shared with Brother Simon’s team and contacts. “It’s not just the coronavirus, the lockdowns, the little food and the unaffordable prices that [affect] the people,” Brother Simon says. “They have also seen heavy rainfall, mudslides and now a heat wave. North Koreans are really suffering this year. They are also quite upset with their leaders who don’t take care of them and only think about their own safety. Many people resort to criminal acts, just to survive.”