COVID-19 will test North Korea severely on many fronts

Significance

North Korea's population is extremely vulnerable. Nobody is vaccinated and many people are undernourished. Sanitation is poor and hospitals are primitive. A strict nationwide lockdown has been declared. This is probably the only hope for averting disaster.

Impacts

• If lockdowns cannot prevent widespread transmission, North Korea could become the origin of dangerous new variants.
• The regime will not allow the outbreak to hinder planned missile and nuclear tests.
• Chinese aid is already flowing; Pyongyang will ignore South Korean (and other) offers of help.