South Korea: Kim Jong Un executed citizens, shut down capital to stop spread of COVID-19

The North Korean government under the leadership Kim Jong UnKim Jong Un Will Biden opt for a values-based or transactional foreign policy? Japan’s role could redefine Asia-Pacific relations under Biden and Suga Biden relies on foreign policy setting to build a team PLUS ordered the execution of at least two people, locked down the capital Pyongyang and implemented other measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, according to South Korean lawmakers who were briefed by members of the agency intelligence of the country.

According to the Associated Press, lawmakers told reporters the findings presented by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in a private briefing.

Lawmakers said Kim was concerned about the economic impact the pandemic could have and also ordered foreign diplomats not to engage in any action that could provoke the United States as part of the transition to president. elected. Joe bidenJoe BidenTrump says he will leave the White House if Biden is declared winner of Electoral College The Memo: Biden faces tough road to pledge to heal American nation records 2,300 COVID-19 deaths as pandemic escalates with vacation PLUS.

“We were told there were orders to exercise the utmost caution in the language,” lawmaker Kim Byung-kee told reporters, according to NPR.

One of the lawmakers, Ha Tae-keung, quoted the NIS as saying Kim was displaying “excessive anger” and taking “irrational measures” in the face of the pandemic and its economic impact, the AP reported.

NIS informed South Korean officials that those executed included a well-known money changer in Pyongyang. Kim reportedly blamed the person for the drop in North Korea’s exchange rate.

The other is a key official who in August broke restrictions on goods arriving from outside the country amid the pandemic.

Kim also implemented a sea fishing ban to prevent seawater from being infected with the virus, according to the NIS. The government has also reportedly locked down the capital and northern province of Jagang to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

The PA also reported that Kim’s government tried unsuccessfully to hack at least one South Korean pharmaceutical company aimed at developing a vaccine against the coronavirus.

North Korea has continued to argue that it has not had a single case of COVID-19, although this has been disputed by several outside experts.

North Korea’s economy has been severely affected by the pandemic, with the country forced to seal its border with its largest trading partner, China, in January. A series of natural disasters over the summer, coupled with US sanctions against North Korea’s arms program, further destabilized the country’s already struggling economy.

Kim has so far been silent on Biden’s victory, although experts have questioned whether North Korea will resume major missile tests as it did in previous government transitions in order to increase the power of leverage in negotiations.

Biden’s administration could also signal a change in President TrumpDonald John Trump Venezuela judge orders jail time for 6 U.S. oil executives Trump says he will leave White House if Biden is declared Electoral College winner The Memo: Biden faces tough road on engagement to heal the nation PLUS, who attended three summits with Kim between 2018 and 2019 on North Korea’s nuclear weapons arsenal.