North Korea rushes to build a new hospital amid coronavirus pandemic
North Korea rushes to build a new hospital amid worldwide coronavirus pandemic, following Russia and China’s lead – despite insisting there are NO cases in the country
- The secretive state maintains that it has had no confirmed cases of coronavirus
- This is despite tens of thousands of cases in neighbours China and South Korea
- Kim has ordered the construction of a new hospital in the heart of Pyongyang
- The dictator did not acknowledged the escalating crisis in a speech to the public
- It comes as China and Russia rushed to build hospitals to tackle the deadly bug
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Kim Jong-un is rushing to build a new hospital amid reports scores of North Korean soldiers have died of coronavirus.
The secretive state maintains it has no confirmed cases of COVID-19, despite tens of thousands of cases in neighbouring China and South Korea.
The dictator has ordered the construction of a new hospital in the heart of Pyongyang without acknowledging the escalating crisis.
The move echoes Russia – which unveiled plans to speed-build a second 500-bed hospital in Moscow on Monday – and China, which opened one in Beijing today.
Kim Jong-un is rushing to build a new hospital amid reports scores of North Korean soldiers have died of coronavirus
The dictator has ordered the construction of a new hospital in the heart of Pyongyang without acknowledging the escalating crisis
In a speech detailed by state propaganda, Kim said the project was to celebrate 75 years since the ruling party was founded and was agreed at a meeting months ago.
But a report of the meeting makes no mention of a hospital and sets out only the vague goal of ‘improving… public health’.
Kim Jong-un never acknowledged the pandemic directly in his speech, but admitted the country faced its ‘harshest-ever internal and external situations’, a full transcript shows.
He also said it was ‘urgent’ to ‘improve the health of the people’ and warned ‘conditions are bad and many difficulties lie ahead’.
The secretive state maintains it has no confirmed cases of COVID-19, despite tens of thousands of cases in neighbouring China and South Korea
In a speech detailed by state propaganda, Kim said the project was to celebrate 75 years since the ruling party was founded and was agreed at a meeting months ago
The 36-year-old (pictured) further demanded the facility be ready by the ‘earliest possible date’ while warning builders not to cut corners
The 36-year-old further demanded the facility be ready by the ‘earliest possible date’ while warning builders not to cut corners.
Photographs of the groundbreaking ceremony show the hospital will be built close to the Workers’ Party Foundation Monument, near Pyongyang’s Taedong River.
General Robert Abrams, a commander of US Forces Korea, said it was unlikely the hermit kingdom remained free of infection.
Photographs of the groundbreaking ceremony show the hospital will be built close to the Workers’ Party Foundation Monument, near Pyongyang’s Taedong River
Kim said in his speech it was ‘urgent’ to ‘improve the health of the people’ and warned ‘conditions are bad and many difficulties lie ahead’. Pictured: The hospital plan
He said: ‘It is a closed-off nation, so we can’t say emphatically that they have cases, but we’re fairly certain they do.’
A source in the North’s military told South Korea’s Daily NK newspaper 180 soldiers had succumbed to coronavirus, with most deaths happening near to the closed border with China.
A further 3,700 soldiers were under quarantine, they added.
Meanwhile, a Seoul government official told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper Kim had fled Pyongyang to escape the virus, heading for Wonsan, a coastal resort town.
Russian authorities unveiled plans on Monday to speed-build a second 500-bed hospital to treat coronavirus victims. The first hospital in Moscow (pictured) will cost £92million
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