Two years on: Humanitarian consequences of North Korea’s border lockdown



Analysis Two years on: Humanitarian consequences of North Korea’s border lockdown With the return of aid workers to the DPRK nowhere in sight, conditions for the most vulnerable are likely worsening Chad O'Carroll \| Ethan Jewell January 21, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Eric Lafforgue \| A North Korean woman carrying a skinny boy on her back, North Hwanghae province, Sariwon, North Korea, Sept. 2008 North Korea’s strict border closure and constraints on domestic movement in response to COVID-19 quickly triggered an exodus of humanitarian and U.N. workers. Already a small community at the best of times, the final nongovernmental and U.N. system workers left Pyongyang in March 2021. Little humanitarian cargo has reached the North since the pandemic either, and the one shipment confirmed by UNICEF last year didn’t clear quarantine until earlier this month. Although freight trains appear to have resumed operations at the North Korea-China border for the first time in a year and Read More © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01New North Korean ICBM delivers big political message, and likely bigger payloads 02How North Korea-Russia ties will challenge next US president, no matter who wins 03What to make of the stunning collapse in value of North Korean won 04What to know about Kim Yong Bok, the man leading North Korean troops in Russia 05If Trump: How erratic leader’s reelection could scramble North Korea policy 06North Korea’s admission of drone incursion exposes glaring gaps in air defenses 07The war in Ukraine is transforming how Europe perceives North Korean threats 08What North Korea stands to gain by sending troops to fight in Ukraine 09Satellite imagery shows DPRK laid explosives at edge of MDL to destroy roads 10Deciphering the return of No Kwang Chol as North Korea’s minister of defense

Analysis

Two years on: Humanitarian consequences of North Korea’s border lockdown

With the return of aid workers to the DPRK nowhere in sight, conditions for the most vulnerable are likely worsening

Chad O'Carroll | Ethan Jewell January 21, 2022

Two years on: Humanitarian consequences of North Korea’s border lockdown

Eric Lafforgue | A North Korean woman carrying a skinny boy on her back, North Hwanghae province, Sariwon, North Korea, Sept. 2008

North Korea’s strict border closure and constraints on domestic movement in response to COVID-19 quickly triggered an exodus of humanitarian and U.N. workers. Already a small community at the best of times, the final nongovernmental and U.N. system workers left Pyongyang in March 2021.

Little humanitarian cargo has reached the North since the pandemic either, and the one shipment confirmed by UNICEF last year didn’t clear quarantine until earlier this month.

Although freight trains appear to have resumed operations at the North Korea-China border for the first time in a year and

01New North Korean ICBM delivers big political message, and likely bigger payloads
02How North Korea-Russia ties will challenge next US president, no matter who wins
03What to make of the stunning collapse in value of North Korean won
04What to know about Kim Yong Bok, the man leading North Korean troops in Russia
05If Trump: How erratic leader’s reelection could scramble North Korea policy
06North Korea’s admission of drone incursion exposes glaring gaps in air defenses
07The war in Ukraine is transforming how Europe perceives North Korean threats
08What North Korea stands to gain by sending troops to fight in Ukraine
09Satellite imagery shows DPRK laid explosives at edge of MDL to destroy roads
10Deciphering the return of No Kwang Chol as North Korea’s minister of defense

Two years on: Humanitarian consequences of North Korea’s border lockdown

LATEST ANALYSIS

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Chad O'Carroll

Ethan Jewell