North Korean authorities have issued shoot-to-kill orders to prevent the coronavirus entering the country from China, according to the commander of US forces in the South.
Ever since the outbreak was first reported from China, North Korea has not confirmed a single case of disease till now.
US Forces Korea (USFK) commander Robert Abrams in an interview said: “ They’ve got North Korean SOF (Special Operations Forces) out there. Strike forces, they got shoot-to-kill orders in place. The regime right now – the military – is focused principally on getting their country recovered and to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19.
Since January, Pyongyang has closed its border with China in order to prevent contamination. In fact, in July the state media stated that the country had raised its state of emergency to the maximum level.
The border closure had effectively “accelerated the effects” of economic sanctions imposed on the North over its nuclear programs, the USFK Commander said. He also said that the imports from China is plunging 85 percent.
The isolated country is also grappling with the aftermath of Typhoon Maysak, with its state media reporting more than 2,000 houses have been destroyed.
As a result, Abrams did not expect to see any major provocations from Pyongyang in the near future.
The regime right now is focused primarily on getting their country recovered and to help mitigate the risk of Covid-19.
But a recent satellite image of North Korea’s Snipo South Naval shipyard, which experts believe shows activity that could indicate preparations for a test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile.
A new North Korean missile test would be yet another sign of the lack of progress in denuclearization talks between the US and Pyongyang, which have been stalled despite multiple meetings between Kim and US President Donald Trump.
People on social media had a few things to say about this order.
Well…I won't be vacationing there anytime soon!
North Korea issues shoot-to-kill orders to prevent virus: US https://t.co/hRbuAXg305 via @Yahoo
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) September 11, 2020
They are taking a direct shot at the virus. https://t.co/N5YTfFFVLS
— Abhimanyu (@ManyuF4F) September 11, 2020
