With the increasing global threat of the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), February saw North Korean authorities taking unprecedentedly strong quarantine measures — borders closed, diplomats under virtual house arrest, and the new school year postponed.

Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to keep domestic discipline the top priority, publicly dismissing two high-level party officials for “corruption” and guiding Korean People’s Army (KPA) units’ “joint strike training.”

Early March saw the first DPRK missile tests of the year, with state media referring to the test as a “strike drill” of “long-range artillery sub-units