North Korea’s COVID-19 lies led to widespread preventable deaths as citizens resorted to counterfeit medicine and folk remedies while the regime actively deceived its own people about the deadly pandemic.
Key Takeaways
- Two U.S. research organizations conducted 100 in-person interviews across North Korea, revealing COVID-19 was widespread for at least two years while the government denied its existence
- North Korean officials and citizens engaged in systematic deception, with doctors lying to patients, village leaders lying to the party, and the government lying to everyone
- The regime reported only a “fever outbreak” with minimal deaths, while citizens suffered without medical care, leading many to rely on counterfeit medicines and folk remedies
- North Korea refused international aid offers including vaccines from South Korea and China, despite having no vaccination program
- The report from CSIS and the Bush Institute documented widespread deaths that officials attributed to “overwork” or “natural causes” rather than COVID-19
Regime’s Deadly Deception Uncovered
A groundbreaking report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the George W. Bush Institute has exposed the deadly consequences of North Korea’s COVID-19 deception. Based on rare in-person interviews with 100 North Koreans across all nine provinces between September and December 2023, researchers documented how the Kim Jong Un regime’s policy of denial created a culture of dishonesty that pervaded every level of society. While officially claiming zero COVID-19 cases for over two years, the virus was actually spreading widely throughout the isolated nation, leaving citizens without proper medical care.
“Doctors were lying to the patients. Village leaders were lying to the party. And the government was lying to everybody,” said Dr. Victor Cha, senior vice president for Asia at CSIS. “Everybody was effectively lying to everybody during the pandemic. Because of a government policy that said there was no COVID in the country. When they knew there was.”
Kim’s Failed Pandemic Response
When North Korea finally acknowledged a COVID-19 outbreak in May 2022, Kim Jong Un publicly criticized officials for a disorganized pandemic response and ordered military involvement to stabilize medicine supplies. By that point, the regime reported over 1.2 million “fever cases” and 50 deaths – figures widely regarded as severe underreporting. The regime’s delayed response came after years of claiming the country had successfully kept the virus out, a claim international experts consistently doubted.
“When people die, North Korean authorities will say they’ve died of overwork or from natural causes, not because of COVID-19,” explained Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Korea University in South Korea.
The research uncovered that COVID-19 had been circulating widely in North Korea for at least two years before the official admission, with severe outbreaks occurring in 2020 and 2021. The regime’s refusal to acknowledge the virus prevented citizens from seeking appropriate care or implementing preventive measures, essentially sacrificing public health to maintain the facade of Kim’s successful leadership.
Suffering Without Support
The consequences of North Korea’s pandemic deception were devastating. Without access to proper medical care, citizens resorted to desperate measures including counterfeit medicines and traditional remedies that often proved ineffective or harmful. The regime’s strict lockdown measures provided no support systems for quarantined individuals, leaving many to suffer and die without assistance. The government’s priority remained maintaining its propaganda narrative rather than protecting its citizens.
“They didn’t allow the people to find coping mechanisms. Just shut them down, quarantine them, lock them down – and then provide them with nothing,” Dr. Victor Cha noted, highlighting the callous approach of the regime.
Despite having no COVID-19 vaccination program, North Korea repeatedly rejected international assistance, including offers from South Korea and China. This rejection came despite warnings from health experts about the dangers of leaving the population unvaccinated. The World Health Organization expressed concern about the situation but was unable to provide substantial help due to the regime’s resistance.
Propaganda Over Public Health
The North Korean regime’s response to COVID-19 epitomizes how authoritarian governments prioritize propaganda over public health. Even as Kim Jong Un publicly acknowledged problems with medicine distribution, the official narrative continued to downplay the severity of the outbreak. State media carefully controlled information, describing cases as a “fever outbreak” rather than COVID-19, and minimizing death counts to protect Kim’s image as a capable leader protecting his people from outside threats.
“With the country yet to initiate COVID-19 vaccination, there is risk that the virus may spread rapidly among the masses unless curtailed with immediate and appropriate measures,” warned Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, highlighting the dangerous situation created by the regime’s policies.
Perhaps most disturbing was Kim’s insistence on continuing economic goals during the pandemic, which likely led to large gatherings at work sites that further spread the virus. This approach demonstrated how the regime valued economic output and political stability over human lives, a pattern consistent with its decades of prioritizing military development over the welfare of citizens.
Information Control and International Implications
The North Korean COVID-19 deception showcases the dangerous consequences of totalitarian information control. By silencing citizens and enforcing a false narrative, the regime prevented necessary public health measures and international aid that could have saved countless lives. The research by CSIS and the Bush Institute represents a rare breach of North Korea’s information blockade, providing valuable insights into how the pandemic was experienced by ordinary citizens cut off from the world.
“North Korea’s fever totals seemed an ‘outright lie,'” stated Cho Han Bum, an analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification, reflecting the widespread skepticism among experts about the regime’s official reporting.
The findings underscore the ongoing human rights crisis in North Korea and highlight how the regime’s isolation policies harm its own citizens. As President Trump has consistently emphasized, the North Korean regime’s deceptive practices and disregard for human life remain serious concerns for international security and humanitarian efforts. The COVID-19 deception represents yet another example of how the Kim dynasty maintains power at the expense of its people’s wellbeing.
