She said the DPRK's announcement of the spread of the coronavirus indicates the outbreak could no longer be contained quietly at local levels, especially given the heavy concentration of cases in its capital of Pyongyang, where the elites reside.
She also observed that the formulation used by North Korean media in reference to the situation - "great upheaval since the founding of the state" - was extremely rare, if not unprecedented, to disclose to the domestic audience. She added that even as North Korea reports a decline in cases, it has emphasized quarantine measures, a sign that the regime does not feel the situation has stabilized yet.
