Report of lockdown suggests North Korea may be quietly grappling with a COVID resurgence

Seoul — North Korea has ordered a five-day lockdown in the capital over “respiratory illness”, a report said Wednesday, in what appears to be the first citywide restrictions since the country declared victory over COVID-19 in August 2022. Residents of Pyongyang have been ordered to stay in their homes from Wednesday to Sunday and must submit to multiple temperature checks each day, Seoul-based specialist site NK News reported, citing a government notice. The notice did not mention COVID but said that the illnesses currently spreading in the capital included the common cold, the report said. The government order comes a…