Sources: Almost 200 soldiers have died from COVID-19 (North Korea)

[soryang]

Sources report that the military is not cremating corpses because of the sheer number of bodies

By Jeong Tae Joo -2020.03.09 3:00pm Daily NK

Around 200 North Korean soldiers from several branches of the military have died from symptoms that may have been caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Daily NK has learned.

A Daily NK source inside North Korea’s military reported on Mar. 6 that the military’s medical corps had sent a report detailing the impact of COVID-19 on the country’s soldiers to military leaders.

The report stated that 180 soldiers had died in January and February and that approximately 3,700 soldiers are currently under quarantine. According to the report, the soldiers who had died were predominantly stationed on or around the Sino-North Korean border in North Pyongan, Chagang, Ryanggang, and North Hamgyong provinces.

https://www.dailynk.com/english/sources-almost-200-soldiers-have-died-covid-19/

It isn't confirmed that these are covid 19 deaths, the original article says suspected or questionable deaths.

re: 북한군도 ‘발칵’…코로나19 의심 사망 200명 육박 By 정태주 기자 -2020.03.06 4:56 오후 NK News 3.6

This is a good article in Science magazine that refers to difficulties the nation wide quarantine is having on importation of TB supplies. There is a wide spread TB problem according to the author, with "thousands" of cases. There is a reference to service personnel in the NKnews article above concerning a history of disease or impaired immune system.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/coronavirus-disruptions-could-hurt-north-korea-s-efforts-treat-tuberculosis

The geographic distribution of the alleged deaths approaching 200 is in the frontier provinces along the North Korean border with China, where one might expect the problem to occur. This is consistent with their earlier article that i posted, except Pyongyang where 7 deaths were reported and South Hwanghae where Haeju is located, (close to S.Korea on the West Sea) isn't mentioned at all. There were reportedly 2 dead in Hwanghae in the earlier report. The earlier NKnews report seems to come from a different source and was referenced near the end in the current article which is the source for the OP. ( 중앙 비상방역지휘부 )

https://www.democraticunderground.com/113326682

So this new NKnews report is at least consistent with the earlier report to some extent except for the failure to report on the southern areas I described. I think this is massaged to conceal the sources.

Thanks to Yo Moma been loggin for posting the yahoo article based on the NK Daily report.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213066133

[Renew Deal]

1. It's surprising that this is just getting attention in the last couple days.

I guess they kept it quiet.

[soryang]

2. I think this is because no one really knows what is going on there

Or if they do know, they don't want to reveal their sources and methods. So the reliability of the NKnews reports is questionable. Yahoo went with their latest report.

It's sensational that's for sure. I notice the articles seem to have a different spin in each language. Most of the discussion I've seen says yes, Kim is keeping it quiet. The hangul version says there is anger in the NK armed forces about these cases.

[RockRaven]

3. If it kills 200 active duty soldiers (presumably young and about as well-fed as one can be in DPRK)

in two months, imagine the nightmarish results amongst the older and possibly more malnourished general population over the next year or so...

[soryang]

4. I'm not certain that they're all that well fed

I watch a lot of file video from South Korea and US VOAkorea. I frequently saw soldiers foraging for food along the border, in coastal areas, and farming. Sometimes the crew on small fishing boats that get disabled are wearing military clothes. The requisitioning and government provisions for food suffered from irregularities this year. To a certain extent i think low ranking soldiers and military units in remote areas are on their own.