(Open Doors) The North Korean government has still not confirmed a coronavirus outbreak—in fact, they continue to insist there has not been a single confirmed case. Yet, no foreigners are allowed into the country and all North Korean citizens are unable to move around freely. It’s almost certain that there are cases in the closed-off country.
North Korea watchers are afraid that the current situation will lead to another “Arduous March,” the name the North Korean people gave the great famine of the 1990s in which 2-3 million people died.
“As the border restrictions continue in North Korea, the shortages of food have quadrupled prices [at the market],” says North Korean escapee Timothy*, who is now working for Open Doors. “According to a recent DailyNK report, many individual shops are now closed, or are unable to sell goods because they simply have nothing to sell. For example, it’s hard to find sugar in the shops or markets, and a can with 100g of Chinese pepper has gone up from 8,000 Korean won [around $9] to 40,000 won [about $44].”