Kim Jong Un has isolated the border city of Kaesong from the rest of North Korea because of coronavirus fears, marking the first time the secretive state has admitted the global pandemic has potentially breached its borders.
The North Korean dictator declared a state of emergency in the city — on the border with the South — and had taken measures “totally blocking Kaesong city and isolating each district and region from the other”, state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday.
International experts have warned that a coronavirus outbreak could devastate North Korea. Its healthcare system is incapable of handling a serious health crisis and suffers from a dearth of basic preventive equipment. Many of the country’s 25m people already suffer ill health.