N. KOREA LOCKS DOWN CITY OVER DEFECTOR WITH VIRUS

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After claiming to have zero cases of COVID-19 so far, North Korea says it has locked down the city of Kaesong because a defector suspected of having the novel coronavirus had returned to the city from South Korea. The man defected from the North three years ago and had been investigated in the South for alleged sexual assault. Here's more.

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​A North Korean defector in his 20s surnamed Kim is believed to have returned to the regime recently. He reportedly defected alone in 2017 and resided in Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do Province. Last month he was investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman who also defected from the North. In mid-July Kim was charged for threatening to kill the victim. He moved out of his apartment and his whereabouts had been unknown lately. Kim reportedly visited the border areas in Gimpo, Ganghwado and Gyodongdo to survey them. Gyodongdo Island is where Kim arrived three years ago after defecting by crossing a river. The distance between North Korea and Gyodongdo is around 2.5 km, and only one or two kilometers from Ganghwado and Gimpo.

[Soundbite] AHN CHAN-IL(WORLD INSTITUTE FOR NORTH KOREA STUDIES) : "Crossing areas with land mines or iron fences would be difficult. But there may be loopholes in coastal areas or near rivers, which can be crossed when prepared with swimming gear."

The South Korean military believes the man returned to Kaesong using the same escape route and is checking out the recorded footage of surveillance cameras at nearby military units. On Sunday morning, North Korean media reported that a defector suspected of having COVID-19 had returned to Kaesong, prompting authorities to lock down the city and issue a special alert. The Workers' Party's Political Bureau convened an emergency meeting presided over by its leader Kim Jong-un. The regime raised its quarantine level all the way up. It's the first time Pyongyang disclosed the Political Bureau's emergency meeting since Kim Jong-un came to power. Some experts believe as the regime officially announced the possibility of the first case of COVID-19 after claiming it had zero cases, the reclusive state will likely report the case to the WHO and request international help.