A North Korean official has reportedly been executed after he broke the terms of his coronavirus quarantine by going to a public bath while he was meant to be in quarantine.
The trade official had been placed in medical quarantine after returning to North Korea from China.
After the government worker was caught, he was arrested and immediately shot after risking the spread of coronavirus by visiting the public bath, the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported.
The official had been placed in isolation after travelling to China with Kim Jong-un imposing military law to enforce the lockdown, sources said.
He is said to have fallen foul of a decree by Kim Jong-un which vowed to ‘rule by military law’ against anyone who left quarantine without approval, one insider added.
Another official, who is a member of the secretive kingdom’s National Security Agency, is said to have been exiled to a North Korean farm after he reportedly tried to cover up his travels to China.
The North Korean government has claimed that there have been no cases of coronavirus within its borders with China. But media outlets in the North Korean capital have admitted that some citizens have been quarantined.
North Korea is also said to have closed its border with China and banned entry to all foreign tourists.