North Yangdok Hot Springs Suspended Due to COVID... Kim Jong-un's Ambitious Project Shaken

Temporary Suspension of Various Public Facility Operations
Pyongyang Marathon Also Canceled as Quarantine Efforts Intensify
Daily Discipline Enforcement Amid Economic Contraction and Growing Anxiety

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, provided on-site guidance at the construction site of the Yangdok Hot Spring Tourist Area in Yangdok County, South Pyongan Province, which is nearing completion, the Korean Central News Agency reported on October 25 last year. Chairman Kim is looking at hot spring eggs.

North Korea temporarily suspended the operation of various public facilities, including Yangdok Hot Springs, starting from the 25th, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), reported Pyongyang Times, North Korea's English-language weekly, on the 28th.

On the 28th, Pyongyang Times explained, "Except for bathers at Yangdok Hot Springs Cultural Recreation Area, tourists are not being accepted, and public facilities such as Rungna People's Amusement Park, Rungna Dolphin (Gopdeungeo) Hall, and the outdoor skating rink have also been closed."

Earlier this month, North Korea had allowed people with hygiene quarantine certificates to visit tourist sites including Yangdok Hot Springs Cultural Recreation Area and Masikryong Ski Resort.

Although foreign entry was banned and domestic entry criteria were tightened, operations had continued.

According to Pyongyang Broadcasting Station, North Korea's external radio, the number of visitors to Yangdok Hot Springs reached 25,000 from the 10th of last month to the 4th of this month.

However, as the COVID-19 situation worsened, to eliminate even the slightest possibility, it appears that Chairman Kim Jong Un has taken the step of suspending the operation of public facilities such as tourist sites that he has prioritized in construction.

North Korea is fully engaged in infectious disease prevention efforts, including border closure measures. To cope with the spread of COVID-19, the opening of kindergartens and schools nationwide has also been postponed.

The Pyongyang International Marathon scheduled for April has been unusually canceled entirely. In the past, during outbreaks such as Ebola, North Korea had restricted participation only for foreign athletes and held a scaled-down Pyongyang Marathon, but canceling the event itself is extremely rare.

Given that COVID-19 is rapidly spreading mainly in crowded areas overseas, this is interpreted as a preemptive measure to prevent such spread.

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported on January 22 that a propaganda painting embodying the "Direct Breakthrough" ideology presented at the 5th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party was produced. The photo shows the new propaganda painting released on the KCNA website, featuring the red flag of the marching unit emphasizing the "Baekdusan Spirit."

North Korea's key project, 'tourism,' championed by Chairman Kim Jong Un, has been hampered by COVID-19, and as economic activities contract and social anxiety spreads, North Korean authorities are intensifying efforts to tighten public sentiment and discipline.

In an article titled "Morality is the Foundation Supporting Our Society" published on the 27th in the Workers' Party organ Rodong Sinmun, it emphasized, "Keep in mind that the work of establishing moral discipline throughout society is an important task to firmly build the fortress of unity and to solidly develop socialism." Additionally, North Korea is encouraging 'Baekdu Mountain expeditions' in each unit and repeatedly calling for 'awakening' through domestic media.