"North Korea Sees Rise in Chronic Disease Mortality Due to COVID Lockdowns... Need for Health and Economic Cooperation"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] As North Korea closed its borders and restricted intercity movement to cope with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), there is a forecast that the mortality rate from chronic diseases among residents will increase.

Professor Lee Yohan of the Graduate School of Public Health at Ajou University stated this in his paper "North Korea's Economy and Resident Health," published in the July issue of the Korea Development Institute (KDI) North Korean Economic Review on the 31st.

According to Professor Lee, in countries like North Korea where social security programs are poor, residents procure food, medicine, and daily necessities on their own.

In particular, while this tendency may be effective in preventing the spread of infectious diseases, it prevents patients with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, and diabetes from obtaining necessary supplies in a timely manner.

Additionally, the fact that North Korea has adhered to the socialist medical principle focused on infectious disease control since the early days of its founding and has not responded promptly to demographic changes such as aging has also played a role.

He pointed out that currently about 80% of all deaths in North Korea are caused by chronic diseases, and the disease burden of chronic diseases is relatively more severe than that of infectious diseases.

Professor Lee advised, "It is necessary to actively utilize the perspective that health itself leads directly to the economy."

He emphasized that South Korea and the international community must continuously persuade the North Korean authorities that taking care of the health of ordinary North Koreans is a sure economic investment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.