Pyongyang in lockdown for unspecified outbreak

Authorities in Pyongyang ordered a five-day lockdown that was due to expire last Sunday evening due to rising cases of an unspecified respiratory illness, the Seoul-based NK News reported, citing a government notice. Residents in the North Korean capital were required to stay in their homes and submit to temperature checks several times each day. There was no mention of Covid. It was unclear if other areas had imposed lockdowns.

North Korea acknowledged its first Covid-19 outbreak in 2022 but by August had declared victory over the virus.