North Korea’s suspected COVID-19 caseload nears 2 million

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has reported 262,270 more suspected COVID-19 infections as its pandemic caseload nears 2 million. The new suspected cases were reported Thursday, a week after the country acknowledged its outbreak and scrambled to slow transmissions. North Korea’s outbreak could be worse than reported because the country lacks virus tests and may be trying to soften the political impact on authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un. Despite the vast numbers of sick people and the efforts to curb the outbreak, workers continue to gather at farms, mining facilities, power stations and construction sites. Experts say North Korea cannot afford a lockdown that would hinder economic production.