북한, 연평도 실종 공무원 사살...코로나19 때문?<br /><br />Now... questions arise as to why the North made such a dramatic move to shoot and kill a South Korean government official.<br />Experts say it could simply be due to the regime's efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after a long and arduous battle against the virus.<br />The commander of U.S. Forces Korea said earlier this month that North Korean troops manning the border with China had been given “shoot-to-kill orders” to prevent anyone from bringing the coronavirus into the country.<br />Our Kim Dami reports.<br />Watchers speculate that North Korea's killing of a missing South Korean goverment offical was carried out in relation to the regime's long, difficult battle against COVID-19.<br />"The North has tightened measures against defectors coming back to the state and reinforced its national emergency declaration to stop the spread of COVID-19. That's probably why they went as far as shooting someone."<br />Chairing seven COVID-19-related meetings so far this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has prioritized the regime's fight against the virus.<br />That includes controlling its borders.<br />"It's highly likely that a soldier made the move following their commanders' order in relation to the North's COVID-19 measures. Leaders in Pyeongyang probably have a lot on their minds right now."<br />It is unlikely that South Korea will share footage of the incident due to the Military Secret Protection Act.<br />As a result, experts comment that this may allow the North to ignore or even deny their actions.<br />"The North may express regret in a humanitarian way, but they may also expect the South to understand given its COVID-19 situation."<br />There has been no comment from the North as of yet....and South Korea's Unification Ministry says there is no direct dialogue channel to reach the regime.<br />In fact, there has been no official communication between the two Koreas since the North blew up the joint liaison office in June...in retaliation to anti-Pyeongyang leaflets that were sent over the border from the South.<br />Kim Dami, Arirang News.<br />
