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North Korean authorities have issued shoot-to-kill orders to prevent the coronavirus from entering the country from China, according to the commander of US forces in South Korea.
Impoverished North Korea, whose ruined health care system would struggle to cope with a major virus outbreak, has not confirmed a single case of the disease that has plagued the world since it emerged in China, Korea’s main ally. from North.
Pyongyang closed the border with China in January to try to avoid contamination, and in July, state media said the state of emergency had been raised to the highest level.
The commander of the United States Korean Forces (USFK), Robert Abrams, said that the closure of the border has increased the demand for contraband goods, prompting authorities to intervene.
North Korea introduced a new “buffer zone, a kilometer or two over the border with China,” Abrams said at an online conference organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington on Thursday.
“They have SOF (Special Operations Forces) from North Korea. The strike forces have orders to shoot to kill,” he said.
The border closure has “accelerated the effects” of economic sanctions imposed on North Korea due to its nuclear programs, he added, and China’s imports fell 85 percent.
The isolated country is also struggling with the aftermath of Typhoon Maysak, with state media reporting that more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed or flooded.
As a result, Abrams doesn’t expect to see any major provocation from Pyongyang in the near future, though he said a new weapons system could be showcased at next month’s celebrations on the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Kim Jong Un party.
“The regime, the army, is now mainly focused on taking the country back and helping mitigate the risk of covid-19,” the American said. “We don’t see any indication of any kind of attack.”
But CSIS has posted a satellite image of North Korea’s Sinpo South shipyard on its website, which its experts say shows activities that could indicate preparations for a test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
A new North Korean missile test would be another sign of a lack of progress in denuclearization negotiations between the United States and Pyongyang, which are stalled despite several meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump.
Trump, who is seeking reelection in November, was the first American leader to meet with a member of the Kim dynasty, which has ruled North Korea since its founding.
On Thursday, Trump tweeted, without further explanation: “Kim Jong Un is in good health. Never underestimate him!”
Kim Jong Un is in good health. Never underestimate it!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2020
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