The North Korean side at the Joint Security Area (JSA) was visibly unkempt during a media tour on Tuesday compared to early in the pandemic, as DPRK officials appear to avoid approaching the inter-Korean border due to COVID-19 concerns.

The two Koreas previously took pristine care of the plants, shrubbery and asphalt on both sides of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). But that appears to have changed on the North Korean side after more than two and a half years of COVID-19-related interruptions to the normal operation of the JSA.