North Koreans rally wearing masks after military parade
SEOUL: Thousands of North Koreans have packed into Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung square to pledge their support for the government — all of them wearing masks, unlike at a military parade only two days earlier.
Authorities held the rally on Monday at the start of an “80-Day Campaign”, a mass mobilisation drive to boost the economy ahead of a ruling party congress in January. Such efforts, often dubbed “battles”, feature extralong work hours and additional duties and are commonplace in North Korea in the lead-up to major events.
Troops, workers and students, all of them wearing face masks, packed into the square, holding slogans including “Let’s keep pace with the steps of our dear leader, Comrade Kim Jong Un”.
It was a change from the military parade the North held at the weekend as part of the commemorations for the ruling party’s 75th anniversary, when neither Kim nor any other participants had their faces covered.
Pyongyang closed its borders in January to try to prevent infection by the coronavirus that first emerged in neighbouring China, and at the parade — when the North showed off its latest missiles — Kim insisted there had not been a single case in the country, thanking citizens for staying healthy.
Kim — along with other officials — was also pictured unmasked watching a “Mass Games” propaganda display on Sunday, while spectators were seen wearing face coverings.
The ruling party anniversary comes during a difficult year for North Korea with the coronavirus pandemic and recent storms adding pressure to the country, which is subject to international sanctions over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
State Affairs Commission vicechairman Pak Pong Ju told the rally the next 80 days were “a very important and significant time period for our revolutionary advance”, the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported.
“If we miss out on this lifetime opportunity and delay our advance at all, we could end up facing terrible and multiple challenges on our way forward.”
Meanwhile, in view of a downward trend in new infections with the coronavirus, South Korea has relaxed the rules put in place to reduce the amount of social contact between people.
From Monday, facilities classified as high-risk such as nightclubs, karaoke bars, buffet restaurants and fitness studios have been able to reopen, provided masks are worn and guest lists are kept. People can also visit churches again for services or stadiums for games in the professional soccer and baseball leagues, as long as an upper limit of 30 per cent of capacity is maintained. The authorities also reported a slight increase in the daily number of recorded coronavirus cases to almost 100.
In view of the relaxed distancing rules, the authorities warned citizens not to be negligent. “We have to find a balance between our daily routine and the quarantine measures,” said Yoon Tae Ho from the Ministry of Health.