North Korean authorities imposed a blockade on the border city of Kaesong after discovering what they say is the first suspected case of coronavirus in the country.
Leader Kim Jong Un has called an emergency meeting of the politburo to implement a "maximum emergency system and issue a first-class alert" to contain the virus, the official Korean central news agency reported Sunday.
Kim was quoted as saying that "it could be said that the vicious virus entered the country," and the officials took the "preventive measure to completely block the city of Kaesong."
If confirmed, it would be the first officially recognized case of COVID-19 in North Korea, where the medical infrastructure is considered woefully inadequate to deal with any epidemic.
KCNA said a deserter who left for South Korea three years ago returned on July 19 after "illegally crossing" the heavily fortified border that divides the two countries.
It is extremely rare for anyone to leave the South through one of the safest borders in the world, filled with minefields and guard posts.
But the South Korean army said there was a "high possibility" that a deserter would return recently.
A 24-year-old man is believed to have swum north after being investigated for rape allegations in the south, according to multiple media reports and defectors.
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