A health worker sprays disinfectant before the opening of Pyongyang’s First Department Store on Dec. 28
Since the global outbreak of Wuhan pneumonia in January 2020, North Korea has been blocking its borders with China and Russia, forcing trade to be interrupted and causing the country to face financial and economic havoc. The news was confirmed by foreign media, citing the Czech and Russian embassies in Pyongyang, where the prices of fruits and vegetables have soared and there is a shortage of foodstuffs.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia on October 10, a source at the Czech Embassy in North Korea disclosed that due to the interruption of imports from North Korea, sugar and cooking oil have been completely unavailable for several months, and even coffee and toothpaste are not easily available, and even the prices of locally grown vegetables and fruits have increased compared to last winter.
The source further said that when a country continues to block its borders for a year, it will encounter the kinds of problems that North Korea seems to be experiencing today.
According to an analysis of the World Factbook published by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), only 26 percent of the population in North Korea has access to electricity. This is a very accurate estimate, he said, because even the embassy area has been experiencing repeated power outages recently.
In an interview with Russian media outlet Interfax, Russian Ambassador to the DPRK Aleksandr Matsegora said that Life in Pyongyang is not so easy nowadays. The disruption of foreign trade in North Korea has led to a shortage of materials and parts, which has caused local businesses to stop operating, resulting in many people losing their jobs and even children being unable to attend school for almost a whole year and having to stay at Home.
Machegro alleges that North Korea has imposed a national border blockade since January last year, and although it is still possible to leave the country from North Korea, it is impossible even for North Korean locals to enter the country. The DPRK authorities restricted the import of goods, although until August last year, it was possible to import goods needed by the country under the guidance of the local extraordinary Epidemic prevention committee; however, after the storm in September, imports were completely banned.
Machegro added that there are 300 stores and a special market in Pyongyang, which are mainly open for foreigners to buy. However, the lockdown policy, which has lasted for several months, has made it more difficult to buy basic ingredients such as flour, cooking oil and sugar, and even clothes and shoes that can be bought cannot be found, and even if they can be bought, the prices are at least three to four times higher than before.
According to Machegro, the reason why the North Korean authorities cannot lift the lockdown policy is that the government in Pyongyang knows that if there is an outbreak of Wuhan pneumonia in North Korea, there will not be enough medical facilities in the country to deal with the epidemic, and the only thing it can do is to keep the Chinese Communist virus out of the country.
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