My COVID experience in North Korea (Part 3)
(Image/Kim Yumi TV, YouTube)
To explain how North Korea initially responded to COVID, I originally planned to talk about the healthcare system, but then I came across the story of the “West Sea official shooting incident.”
That incident took place right where I lived. It happened in September 2020, just as COVID was beginning to spread, and because it relates to the pandemic, I’ll start by sharing what I know about it.
I can’t say for certain whether the details came from official government propaganda or from testimony by soldiers who actually participated. What I do know is that I lived near the coast, where naval bases were concentrated, and that some of the soldiers involved in the incident were stationed nearby.
What I heard was this: an unidentified man from the South was discovered floating in our waters, wearing a life jacket and clinging to some kind of debris. The first thing I heard was that he had secretly defected. I remember being quite astonished by that story, because while there were cases of people escaping from North to South, it was almost unheard of for someone to defect in the opposite direction. I couldn’t help doubting whether it was even true.
At the time, I also wondered if the government had not invented the story. But after I came to South Korea, I learned that the incident had indeed happened.
Anyway, here’s how the story circulated. This South Korean man had drifted into North Korean waters. He was not rescued, but remained afloat on the debris as North Korean soldiers approached to check his identity. When he identified himself as being from the South, the information was relayed to the Naval Command and then up to the Central Party, meaning, to Kim Jong-un.
In North Korea, anything important is reported directly to Kim, so if someone from the South had crossed over, it would certainly have been reported immediately. But rather than being rescued and taken to hospital, the man remained stranded on the debris. At the time, COVID rules required people to keep more than two meters apart and to avoid physical contact.
At the time, the state broadcaster constantly replayed footage from around the world showing masses of people collapsing from the virus, instilling fear in the population. In the beginning, people were so frightened that they strictly followed quarantine rules.
Later, rumors spread that the man was shot dead and his body burned. According to reports from sailors, the order handed down from above was not to rescue him, hospitalize him, or test him, but to kill him. The justification was that since he came from South Korea, he might be carrying the coronavirus, so he had to be incinerated.
They had no choice but to obey. They knew all too well what punishment awaited if they refused. What made this especially tragic for me was that the soldiers who took part were of my own generation, the so-called ‘MG generation’ of North Korea. Most North Koreans join the military at age 18 and serve 10 years. This generation, unlike the older one, has had at least some exposure to outside information.
Today’s MG generation has often seen South Korean broadcasts or content, and so they understand the outside world better than their elders. But in North Korea, no one has the freedom to act on personal judgment. The soldiers who took part in that killing will likely have to live with guilt for the rest of their lives.
Another version of the story that circulated was that the man had been a spy sent on a mission to the North.
In any normal country, the man should have been quarantined, tested for infection, and treated. What North Korea did was utterly irrational. This incident shows just how abnormal its system really is.
When you look at the regime’s COVID response, you see how deep the fear ran. With such a weak medical infrastructure, it was terrified of an outbreak. We, too, were overwhelmed by fear, watching the endless footage of mass deaths from around the world, not knowing how dangerous this disease really was, and falling into confusion.
At that time, North Korea had a directive known as the “combat order.” It instructed that anyone, or even any animal, that crossed into the border zone or buffer area without authorization should be shot on sight. Even a stray beast crossing the line had to be killed immediately.
South Korea had in the past sent humanitarian supplies and aid to the North. That the same North Korea then turned around and murdered a South Korean in this way is something that fills me with anger.
I offer my deepest condolences to the victim who was so unjustly killed and to his bereaved family.
The reason I share what I know about North Korea’s COVID situation is because I feel it is a responsibility I bear. This is why I wanted to tell you about this incident, at least within the limits of what I know.
This event was not something known across all of North Korea. It was only talked about in the region where I lived, the maritime boundary area, among those who were nearby at the time. I sincerely hope that such a tragedy never happens again.
Kim Yumi, a North Korean defector, was born and raised in Haeju, South Hwanghae Province, a coastal military area. Growing up near a naval base, she was able to secretly watch South Korean news programs and TV shows, thereby uncovering the vibrant, democratic society of South Korea. Yumi and her husband made the brave decision to escape North Korea and seek a better future. Now in Seoul, she is actively involved in raising awareness about the realities of life in North Korea, especially on her YouTube channel, “@KimYumiTV.”
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