Why has North Korea suddenly admitted that it has a Covid problem and started to institute draconian lockdown measures, when it's fairly clear that Covid has been a continuing issue for some time, with suspected cases being isolated, shut away, and left to die? Could it be that they've decided to act now because there's actually perceived to be a threat to the Great Leader himself, Respected Comrade Kim Jong-un? If it was just ordinary North Koreans they wouldn't care, but a threat to the great scion of the sacred line of Mt. Paektu simply cannot be countenanced.
From the Daily NK:
North Korean authorities have determined that an individual infected with COVID-19 was at a recent event attended by leader Kim Jong Un, leading the country to announce the country’s outbreak, Daily NK has learned.
A Daily NK source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Friday that the government received reports that a university student infected with COVID-19 attended an event with the North Korean leader. This spurred the government to action without hiding the facts, he added.
On May 1, Kim Jong Un posed for a commemorative photo with university students and young workers who contributed to the success of the military parade to mark the 90th anniversary of the North Korean military’s founding, according to state-run media.
The source said one of the university students who attended the event was infected with COVID-19, and most importantly, the authorities judged that the student may have been in close contact with Kim. This led the authorities to announce the outbreak and implement measures to respond.
N. Korean authorities judge they can’t hide holes in their quarantine efforts at an event attended by Kim
Daily NK’s source said that North Korean authorities are taking their failure to weed out an infected individual from an event attended by Kim very seriously.
Nobody can overlook the matter as it directly pertains to the personal safety of the country’s supreme leader, he added.
Well, I suppose we should have known…
Mick Hartley 
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