Regular Briefing by Spokesperson Cho Joonghoon
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.
