Behind Shuttered Borders:
A view into North Korea's COVID-19 experiences 

A new, first-of-its-kind report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the George W. Bush Institute details life in North Korea during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the voices of 100 ordinary North Korean citizens.

Read the report

North Korean citizens laying flowers before the statues of late Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on April 15, 2020. (Photo by KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images)

North Korea shut down its international borders and restricted internal travel for over three years – from January 2020 until August 2023 – as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, further isolating the country and its people from the rest of the world.

This new report from the Bush Institute and CSIS found that North Korean respondents reported virtually no access to vaccines, antiviral medications, or personal protective equipment prior to May 2022. This was all due to the lies of the Kim Jong Un regime, who denied the existence of the virus within its borders for over a year while innocent North Koreans died.

Read the report to learn about the growing frustration of the North Korean people with their government, what life was actually like for North Koreans during the pandemic, and what the U.S. and its democratic allies can do to support freedom in the country.

Learn more about the Bush Institute’s work on North Korea here.

Subscribe to the Bush Center's weekly newsletter for our latest insights, news, and analysis.

About the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to advancing practical ideas to address the world’s greatest challenges. Thomas J. Pritzker was named chairman of the CSIS Board of Trustees in 2015, succeeding former U.S. senator Sam Nunn (D-GA). Founded in 1962, CSIS is led by John J. Hamre, who has served as president and chief executive officer since 2000. CSIS’s purpose is to define the future of national security. We are guided by a distinct set of values—nonpartisanship, independent thought, innovative thinking, cross-disciplinary scholarship, integrity and professionalism, and talent development. CSIS’s values work in concert toward the goal of making real-world impact. CSIS scholars bring their policy expertise, judgment, and robust networks to their research, analysis, and recommendations. We organize conferences, publish, lecture, and make media appearances that aim to increase the knowledge, awareness, and salience of policy issues with relevant stakeholders and the interested public. CSIS has impact when our research helps to inform the decisionmaking of key policymakers and the thinking of key influencers. We work toward a vision of a safer and more prosperous world.


About the George W. Bush Institute

The George W. Bush Institute is a solution-oriented nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies. Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush Institute is rooted in compassionate conservative values and committed to creating positive, meaningful, and lasting change at home and abroad. We utilize our unique platform and convening power to advance solutions to national and global issues of the day. Learn more at bushcenter.org.