When news about the coronavirus hitting other countries outside of China first surfaced, North Korea was one of the first countries to block all foreign tourists from entering as precaution against the virus, reported Japan Times.
They have since been taking drastic measures, including isolating anyone who had been to China or had contact with Chinese citizens, to stop the spread of the virus, and they’ve even gone to the extent of executing individuals who fail to comply with the law that the government has set.
According to Korean newspaper, Dong-a Ilbo, a North Korean official was shot dead for going to a public bath when he was supposed to be in quarantine.
He was arrested and immediately shot for risking the spread of coronavirus by visiting the public bath.
Source: Daily Mail
The official was put in isolation after his travels to China, with Kim Jong-un imposing military law to enforce the lockdown.
Kim Jong-un had decreed that anyone who left quarantine without approval would be killed according to ‘military law’.
Another official was allegedly exiled to a farm in North Korea for trying to hide his travels to China.
It is common for the North Korean government to execute individuals in matters like this, although these executions are hard to verify.
Source: Daily Mail
It was rumoured that a top official had been exiled over a failed summit with Donald Trump, but the claims were proven false when he was seen with Kim Jong-un in public.
Meanwhile, North Korea has not yet confirmed any cases of the virus.
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