Soon after Coronavirus struck, North Korea set in motion its protective shield against the disease. Therefore, the North sealed its border on immediate priority and took a few evasive actions. It later announced that it was free from the dangerous virus. However, the foreign minister of South Korea has raised doubts over the claims. That has not gone down well with Kim Yo Jong. She is a senior leader of North Korea and a sister of Kim Jong-un. She slammed the minister of the South and warned of serious consequences.
The foreign minister of South Korea said that it is difficult to believe coronavirus has not affected its neighbor in the North.
Kang Kyung-Wha, the minister, added that Pyongyang had rejected Seoul's offer to wage a joint war on the pandemic. In the words of Kim Yo Jong shared in statement carried by the official KCNA news agency- "It can be seen from the reckless remarks made by her without any consideration of the consequences that she is too eager further to chill the frozen relations between North and South Korea." "Her real intention is very clear. We will never forget her words and she might have to pay dearly for it," she added.
A balancing act for North Korea
During an official program, Kim Jong-un announced that his country did not have any case of coronavirus infection. That was on October 10, and the occasion was a military parade.
North Korea had claimed from the beginning that it had zero coronavirus cases. It took prompt action to close its international borders, send out diplomats, and isolate those suspected of having symptoms. North Korea shut its the border with China and led to a disastrous effect on its economy. This is because China is an ally of the North and an important trade partner.
The worsening food situation came to the fore when news emerged about dog owners being asked to give up their pets for meat.
The reaction of Kim Yo Jong, a leader of North Korea
In experts' opinion, the health care system of North Korea is fragile, and a major outbreak could be disastrous. It could hamper its economy. While talking at a Bahrain forum, South Korea’s foreign minister Kang Kyung-Wha brought up the subject.
She said, “They still say they do not have any cases, which is hard to believe.” That has not gone down well with Kim Yo Jong, a North Korean leader, who happens to be Kim Jong-un’s sister.
Coronavirus outbreak in North Korea could become a humanitarian issue
A war of words is on between Kim Yo-Jong of North Korea and Kang Kyung-Wha of the South. The former is the sister of Kim Jong-un, and the latter is the foreign minister of South Korea. The North Korean leader has reacted strongly to what the minister said on the claims of a coronavirus-free North Korea. A major disease outbreak in the North could become a humanitarian issue. Incidentally, US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is expected to engage in talks with Seoul on North Korean subjects.
A section of the observers feels Pyongyang could take some action to attract the attention of president-Joe Biden and create a platform to restart the stalled nuclear talks. He and US President Donald Trump met on a number of occasions to discuss denuclearization but failed to arrive at an acceptable solution.
