Coronavirus: North Korea ‘secretly seeks international help to raise virus testing’ despite maintaining claim of no cases

Experts warn an outbreak in country could have dire consequences

North Korea has reportedly reached out for international help during the coronavirus pandemic – despite publicly claiming the country has zero infections.

Officials have privately been asking contacts around the world to help boost their capacity for testing, according to the Financial Times.

“The government has testing kits for Covid-19 and they know how to use them, but [the number of kits are] not sufficient,” one person familiar with the situation told the newspaper.

They claimed officials are asking organisations for help.

Premier Kim Jong-un has taken strict measures against the virus, despite there being no officially confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to date.

Foreign experts have been sceptical of this claim, given North Korea borders China, where the virus originated, and South Korea, which has been home to many cases.

The country has banned foreign tourists, intensified screening at entry points and mobilised health workers to monitor residents and isolate those with symptoms.

Thousands have been ordered to quarantine, and traffic flow has been heavily restricted across its border with China.

Mr Kim has also ordered a new hospital to be built “in the shortest period” amid the pandemic.

An outbreak in North Korea could have dire consequences due to the country’s poor health system and shortage of medical supplies, experts have warned.

The US State Department has expressed concerns about the country’s vulnerability to a potential outbreak, saying it was ready to support efforts by aid organisations to contain the spread of the illness.

Donald Trump, the US president, has also sent a letter to Mr Kim offering to help the country battle coronavirus, North Korea has claimed.

John Linton, head of International Health Care Centre at Severance Hospital in Seoul, said earlier this month North Korea had made “indirect” requests to South Korean aid groups for supplies including masks.

More than 470,000 people have tested positive for Covid-19 internationally.

The death toll stood at around 21,200 as of Thursday.

Additional reporting by agencies