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North Korea suggests that the country’s eruption of covid-19 was caused by “foreign objects”, such as balloons sent from South Korea.
South Korean activists have long sent balloons across the heavily guarded border, to distribute leaflets criticizing North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.
According to North Korea’s infection control center, an 18-year-old soldier and a preschooler in the city of Ipho, near the southeastern border, have tested positive for covid-19 after being in contact with “foreign objects”, state-controlled media report.
In what was trumpeted as an “emergency instruction”, officials were ordered to carefully handle “foreign objects that come with the wind, other climate phenomena and balloons”.
Exactly what the foreign objects are has not been stated, but the issue of balloons being sent across the border has long created problems in both North and South Korea. In 2014, North Korea opened fire on balloons flying inland, which was answered by South Korea. South Korea has also banned such flyer campaigns.
In May, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that covid-19 existed in the country. Since then, 4.7 million cases of “fever” have been registered. 73 deaths have been confirmed, but the numbers spread by the dictatorship are believed to be strongly understated.