North Korea: Unfolding Covid crisis amid Pyongyang’s heightened military provocation

The reclusive regime has conducted a record 16 missile tests so far in 2022, including its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in five years, ratcheting up military provocation and tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. At the same time, the country is also experiencing its first official Covid-19 outbreak despite shutting its borders in 2020. Considering North Korea's poor public health infrastructure and high incidence of malnutrition among its unvaccinated population, the pandemic could deal a devastating blow to its fragile economy, and ultimately threatening its national security. Join our team, Guo Yu, Lead Asia-Pacific Analyst and fellow APAC Analysts Hans Horan and Riccardo Cociani, as they discuss how the country’s worsening Covid-19 outbreak could affect its missile and nuclear weapons developments, its relations with South Korea and the US, as well as the far-reaching implications on one of the region’s most volatile geopolitical flashpoints.