N. KOREA ARGUES ZERO COVID-19 PATIENTS

[Anchor Lead]

With the coronavirus outbreak spreading in various parts of the globe, North Korea keeps stressing it has zero confirmed cases. The North has been promoting quarantine measures via mass media, but it seems like disinfectants are in short supply in the country.

[Pkg]

This image of a North Korean expedition group on Mount Baekdusan was published on Wednesday on the front page of the North's Rodong Sinmun. Everyone in the group is wearing protective facemasks. It's quite unprecedented for North Korea to disclose the images of someone visiting the sacred mountain with facemasks on. The Rodong Sinmun published about a dozen articles on the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, emphasizing that not a single case of infection had been confirmed in the country so far. An official from the North's Ministry of Public Health also said in an interview with Korean Central Television that the North has zero confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far and urged the public to take preventive measures.

[Soundbite] OH CHUN-BOK(N. KOREA'S MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH(FEB. 19, KCTV)) : "Data compiled so far shows that fortunately we have no cases of the novel coronavirus in our country."

However, there are multiple signs of shortages of disinfection equipment and pharmaceuticals in the North. The Rodong Sinmun wrote that People's Hospital in Kangwon-do Province is burning mugwort to disinfect and ventilate its facilities. The newspaper added that vinegar is of little help when it comes to disinfection. It's easy to guess from the articles that the North is using traditional disinfection methods that have dubious efficacy.

[Soundbite] CHUNG SUNG-JANG(THE SEJONG INSTITUTE) : "With pharmaceuticals being in short supply in North Korea, it has no other choice but to use traditional methods."

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said it provided protective goggles, facemasks and test drugs to the North last week at the latter's request. UNICEF also said the North has recently requested protective medical gear.