코로나19에 대한 북한의 대응 : 『로동신문』보도를 중심으로

Abstract

This study analyzed the quantitative characteristics and main content of articles related to COVID-19 appearing in the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, in order to examine North Korea's response to COVID-19. According to the analysis, North Korea has maintained an isolated quarantine system called "blockade and control," which is unlike the universal response of health cooperation in the international community. The state has also recognized the importance of essential quarantine goods, which are in limited environments and conditions, and has supplied them by itself. Furthermore, it can be evaluated that the situation is being managed in a relatively flexible and stable manner even with the daily changes accompanying the continuation of COVID-19;such policy decisions have been based on an analysis of trends in the international community. Finally, the North Korean government's anti-epidemic stance has also loosened. Considering these points, it can be estimated that the influence of the leadership on management, supervision, etc. has decreased to a certain extent, but there is a need to constantly analyze this. The study provides meaningful information in that it analyzes North Korea's response to COVID-19, which has swept the world over the past year, and the characteristics of that response. Its importance lies in the fact that it can serve as a basis for establishing future quarantine measures and can point to the direction of inter-Korean health cooperation.