(CNN)– The first outbreak of covid-19 News from North Korea could unleash a devastating human rights crisis in the impoverished nation, which is struggling to curb the uncontrolled rise of the virus with a lack of vaccine deployment and limited medical infrastructure, the UN warns. .
North Korea, one of the most secretive and totalitarian countries in the world, sealed its borders when the pandemic began to spread around the world in January 2020, further isolating the nation. It also restricted internal movements, affecting access to medicine, health care and food. And as new variants emerged, he stepped up those efforts, cutting off almost all trade with China, the country’s biggest economic partner.
The new measures to fight the virus, which include new restrictions on travel and isolation of the population, could have dire consequences for those who already have difficulties to meet their basic needs, such as food, said the spokeswoman for the human rights office. from the ONU, Liz Throssel.
“In the absence of a vaccination rollout, the spread of the pandemic may have a devastating impact on the human rights situation in the country,” Throssell told a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
“It lacks analytical capacity, essential drugs and equipment.”
After two years without acknowledging that North Korea had any cases of covid-19, authorities last week confirmed an outbreak. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared in public wearing a face mask for the first time on May 12 to order a nationwide quarantine and declare a “maximum emergency.”
Since the outbreak was first reported, more than 1.7 million people have fallen ill with what Pyongyang calls a “fever,” and 62 people have died, according to state media KCNA. On Tuesday, the country reported more than 230,000 new cases and six more deaths. But the reports did not indicate how many of the infections or deaths were conclusively linked to COVID-19 through testing.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presiding over an emergency meeting on covid-19 prevention measures.
Chairing a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party on Tuesday, Kim called the state’s response to the outbreak “immature,” accusing government officials of failure and “negligence” in reining in what he said he could be one of the biggest crises in the country’s history, according to the KCNA. His inaction has caused an increase in “complexity and difficulties,” he added, calling for efforts to be redoubled to stabilize the life of the population.
However, while rights experts have welcomed North Korea’s acknowledgment of the crisis, they argue that Kim’s comments belie the true impact of the government’s response to the pandemic on the North Korean population. The country’s leader, like authoritarian rulers elsewhere, has used the pandemic as a cover to further clamp down on civil and political rights in the country, with Throssel pointing to a policy that authorizes the use of deadly force against individuals. trying to get in or out.
Kim allegedly ordered the execution of two people for crimes related to covid-19, including a customs official who allegedly did not follow virus prevention regulations when importing goods from China. In June 2021, Kim also fired several top officials who did not implement his rigorous covid-19 prevention plans.
The latest restrictions imposed by Kim will have even more distressing consequences for citizens, especially those who already struggle to meet their basic needs. Throssel said that especially vulnerable people include children, the elderly and the homeless, and that people “in detention are also especially exposed to the risk of infection due to high concentrations of people in confined spaces and limited access to hygiene and health care.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) He said Tuesday that the country’s anti-Covid-19 policies had further exacerbated the crisis and put North Koreans at greater risk of dying. “North Koreans have had almost no access to Covid-19 vaccines, and many are chronically undernourished, leaving them with compromised immune systems. Medicines of any kind are in short supply in the country, and the health infrastructure is extremely poor. frail, lacking medical supplies such as oxygen and other COVID-19 therapies,” the rights organization said in a statement.
“The North Koreans are facing a uniquely serious catastrophe, and the world must not look the other way,” he added.
North Korea’s lack of transparency and unwillingness to share information poses a major challenge. The country has never formally acknowledged how many died during a devastating famine in the 1990s that experts say killed up to 2 million people. Those who fled the country at the time shared horrific stories of death and survival, and a country in chaos. The current confinement is expected to hinder the agricultural harvest, which is affected by the drought from the outset.
The UN, HRW and other agencies have urged North Korea to respond to calls from the international community to open channels for humanitarian aid, including medicines and vaccines.
On Monday, South Korea offered help, with President Yoon Suk Yeol saying, “If the North Korean authorities agree, we will not spare necessary aid, such as medicines, including COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and health personnel.” Last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he was willing to lend “full support” to North Korea’s fight against the virus as the country grapples with its own covid crisis.