Date: Monday, August 1, 2022
Time: 10:30-10:33 A.M.

1. Weekly Schedule

Unification Minister Kwon Youngse will attend a session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs & Unification Committee today at 2 P.M.

On Friday August 5, Minister Kwon will sit down with members from the National Endowment for Democracy to explore opinions on North Korean humanitarian issues.

2. Q&A

Q. North Korea reported zero fever cases for the last three consecutive days. How do you think this status will affect the quarantine and lockdown measures of the North in the future?

A. It is not easy to predict the policy direction of North Korea.

On one hand, there is a possibility that the North may remove the national maximum emergency anti-epidemic system and lockdown measures as a way to announce its successful Covid-19 control. On the other hand, North Korea may adjust or maintain the current quarantine momentum to keep its resident alert as the Omicron variant may spread again.

Since either case is a possible option, the Ministry, while not assuming North Korea’s actions, notes that it is necessary to closely monitor the Covid-19 situation in North Korea at this point.

Though the figures of the North’s fever cases are reported to be stable, there is still a demand for inter-Korean cooperation in public health and quarantine efforts, thereby the Ministry maintains an open position for North Korea’s response.