North Korea ordered executions to fight coronavirus – Telam

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the execution of at least two people, banned sea fishing and blocked the capital, Pyongyang, in a bid to protect the country from the coronavirus and its economic consequences, reported now South Korean lawmakers.

Further, according to lawmakers, citing intelligence sources, the Kim government has ordered diplomats overseas to refrain from any act that might provoke the United States, pending President-elect Joe Biden’s new approach to North Korea. .

One of the lawmakers, Ha Tae-keung, cited the National Intelligence Service (NIS) as saying Kim is displaying “excessive anger” and taking “irrational measures” in the face of the pandemic and its economic impact.

Ha said the NIS informed lawmakers that North Korea executed a high-profile financier in Pyongyang last month after holding him responsible for the drop in the exchange rate and that a key official was also executed. in August for violating government regulations. which restrict products imported from abroad.

According to the South Korean intelligence agency, North Korea also tried to hack at least one South Korean pharmaceutical company that was trying to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus.“

None of these people have been identified by name.

North Korea has also banned fishing and the production of sea salt to prevent seawater from being infected with the virus, NIS told lawmakers, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

North Korea recently placed the capital Pyongyang and northern Jagang province under lockdown amid the coronavirus alert.

According to the South Korean intelligence agency, North Korea also tried to hack at least one South Korean pharmaceutical company that was trying to develop a vaccine against the coronavirus.

The NIS said it could not immediately confirm the accounts of lawmakers.

North Korea has reported a single case of the coronavirus in its territory, an allegation disputed by outside experts, and assures that it is doing everything possible to prevent the spread of the virus.

The pandemic forced North Korea to seal its border with China, its main trading partner and aid benefactor, in January, a shutdown that, coupled with natural disasters this summer, dealt a heavy blow to the country. northern economy.“

A major epidemic could have dire consequences as the northern health system remains paralyzed and suffers from a chronic lack of medical supplies.

The pandemic forced North Korea to seal its border with China, its main trading partner and aid benefactor, in January, a shutdown that, coupled with natural disasters this summer, dealt a severe blow to l northern economy, which has also suffered. is under US sanctions.

The NIS expects North Korea to hold a military parade past the ruling party’s congress (in January) in a show of force synchronized with Biden’s inauguration.

Kim Jong Un said the congress, the first of its kind in four years, would set new goals for the state for the next five years.