Park Ji-won Questions North Korea's Claim of 'No COVID-19 Cases' as 'Many Doubts' Arise

Park Ji-won, nominee for the Director of the National Intelligence Service, appeared at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 27th and responded to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Park Ji-won, the nominee for the Director of the National Intelligence Service, stated on the 27th that "there are many doubts when seeing North Korean officials wearing masks when they gather," regarding North Korea's announcement that there are no confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the same day, at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing, Park responded this way to a question from Lee Gae-ho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asking, "North Korea says there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases; is that trustworthy?"

Park said, "It is not appropriate for me to disclose the official position of the National Intelligence Service here," adding, "In any case, the North Korean government announced that there are no COVID-19 patients, and I understand that the World Health Organization (WHO) Pyongyang representative also based their statement on the North Korean government's announcement."

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