Tensions along the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea remain subdued, as the novel coronavirus pandemic forces Pyongyang to concentrate on protecting its population from the deadly disease, joint US-South Korean commander Gen. Robert Abrams said in an interview on Thursday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2020) Tensions along the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea remain subdued, as the novel coronavirus pandemic forces Pyongyang to concentrate on protecting its population from the deadly disease, joint US-South Korean commander Gen. Robert Abrams said in an interview on Thursday.
"Things right now are generally pretty calm," Abrams said in a virtual interview hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "Their military is focused principally on getting their country recovered and to help mitigate the risk of COVID-19."
Abrams said that North Korea is also engaged to recover and rebuild from the effects of three recent typhoons.
Much of Pyongyang's anti-virus strategy focuses on the nation's border with China, which North Korea closed in January 2020, according to Abrams.
"It's understandable. They have a poor health system. Sixty percent of their population is undernourished. They don't have the benefit of capacity and a very large outbreak could be devastating so they've taken those matters into their hands," he said.
Abrams noted that imports from China to North Korea have dropped 85 percent this year due to novel coronavirus-related border restrictions.
North Korea has depended on China for much of the nation's food supply since a devastating famine in the 1990s killed millions.
