Pyongyang: Covid contagions among military parade participants

16 students from the capital's Civil Defense University taken to hospital after showing symptoms attributable to the coronavirus. The Workers' Party Central Committee has been silent on leader Kim Jong-un's condition. 

Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Some students of the Civil Defense University who had participated in the parade for the 73rd anniversary of the founding of North Korea were taken to the hospital because they showed symptoms traceable to Covid-19.

Daily NK  which is based in Seoul and linked to the South Korean Unification Ministry today reported 16 university students between the ages of 30 and 40 were taken to the hospital three days after the celebration, held on Sept. 9, because they had nausea, high fever and breathing difficulties. 

Located in Pyongyang's Ryongsong district, the Civil Defense University trains commanders of North Korea's paramilitary reserve. According to Daily NK even before the parade, the students were already showing a slight fever, but the university decided not to report it to the parade commanders saying it was just a cold.

After being rushed to the hospital, the Central Pandemic Emergency Committee put the entire university on lockdown: all students were banned from leaving their dorms for at least 15 days and the facility was sanitized. 

Five officials deemed responsible were fired and forced to do hard labor.

In the face of skepticism from the global scientific community, the North Korean regime has consistently stated that it has not recorded any Covid infection. Despite the high number of cases emerging among parade participants, the Central Committee of the Workers' Party - in power since 1945 - has maintained silence about leader Kim Jong-un's "personal safety," writes Daily NK.

"Usually, when something like this happens, they say an incident has taken place that could have brought serious harm to the personal safety or health of the Supreme Leader [Kim], but in this case, nothing of the sort has been said,” said the source. “So Pyongyang residents are saying this could be because the Supreme Leader and his cadres are all vaccinated.”