Coronavirus ‘kills 180 North Korean soldiers’, diplomats flee

Coronavirus – NORTH Korea has allegedly lost 180 soldiers to coronavirus, with thousands in quarantine as the illness infects thousands across the region.

North Korea’s military reported on March 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 according to a Daily NK insider.

The shocking report said that 180 soldiers had died in January and February and that approximately 3,700 soldiers are currently under quarantine.

The soldiers who had died were stationed on or around the country’s border with China in North Pyongan, Chagang, Ryanggang, and North Hamgyong provinces.

The military’s leadership had ordered military hospitals to collect data on the number of soldiers who had died after suffering from high fevers stemming from pneumonia, tuberculosis, asthma or colds and how many are in quarantine.

It comes as neighbouring South Korea reported a total of 7,478 cases of coronavirus, the second-most for any nation after China.

Fifty-three people have died in South Korea which is much fewer than Italy and Iran.

North Korea faces a fight for their national existence if coronavirus is not contained in the country, but Kim still sent South Korea a letter of condolence for their crisis last week.

An official who was not showing any symptoms was quarantined after returning from China in February but was brutally executed for going to a public bath instead.

The newly reported numbers showing the shocking truth about the situation have caused uproar and panic throughout North Korea’s military.

Leaders are now taking several measures to prevent the spread of what appears to be COVID-19 infections.

Corpses are now to be “thoroughly disinfected”, which goes against the North Korean government’s order that all hospitals cremate all corpses.

Daily NK’s military source explained: “There’s just too many bodies [to be cremated in the military] and they didn’t want news [of the cremations] to leak outside the military.

“I haven’t heard of corpses being cremated in military hospitals.

“The military leadership likely believes that suddenly asking the hospitals to cremate all the bodies would create a big headache for medical staff.”

The authorities have also ordered the military hospitals to disinfect the quarantined areas with methanol, where sick soldiers are being hospitalized on a daily basis.

Military leaders have also ordered that soldiers with weak immune systems or who suffered from health issues in the past be “observed closely”.

Source – https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/