North Korean despot Kim Jong Un executed two people, closed the country’s capital, and banned fishing at sea in a frantic attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus, South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Friday.
The tyrant has been lashing out with “excessive anger” and taking “irrational measures” in recent weeks as a result of the pandemic, said one of the officials, Ha Tae-keung, who was briefed by National Intelligence Service.
Kim allegedly had a high-profile money changer killed in Pyongyang last month and a key official executed for violating regulations about imported goods in August, he said. Neither of the victims were identified.
The North Korean dictator also placed the city of Pyongyang and northern Jagang province under lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 — and had a South Korean pharmaceutical company hacked to learn secrets about the vaccine it was developing, officials said.
In a bizarre decision, Kim also banned fishing and salt production at sea to prevent seawater from being infected with the deadly virus, the NIS told lawmakers.
This is despite the North Korean government insisting that the country hasn’t had a single coronavirus case — a claim that’s disputed by health experts.
A COVID-19 outbreak in the secretive nation could have a crippling effect on its health care system, which lacks proper medical supplies.
In addition to coronavirus concerns, Kim is worried President-elect Joe Biden will come down harder on the Hermit Kingdom than President Trump, the spy agency said.
For weeks, North Korea’s government has stayed silent about Biden’s victory over Trump, with whom Kim held three summits over its nuclear arsenal.
But lawmaker Kim Byung-kee said North Korea fears its friendly ties with Trump will become useless and believes it must start over with the incoming Biden administration.
Kim has ordered overseas diplomatic missions not to provoke the United States, warning their ambassadors of consequences if their comments or acts related to the US cause any trouble to his ties with Washington.
With Post wires
