This joint report was originally published by the George W. Bush Institute on June 17, 2025.

This report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in cooperation with the George W. Bush Institute, is to our knowledge the first published review of human rights abuses inside North Korea associated with the Covid-19 global pandemic. Between January 2020 and August 2023, the regime imposed one of the world’s most extreme lockdowns—sealing its borders and halting all exchanges related to trade, tourism, diplomacy, and humanitarian aid, and enforcing rigid internal travel restrictions—under the guise of “anti-epidemic” measures. With no independent reporting possible during this period, the regime claimed a flawless record, denying any Covid-19 cases for the first two years and reporting only 74 deaths when it finally acknowledged an outbreak in May 2022.

This report is based on the voices of 100 ordinary North Korean residents amplified through micro-surveys conducted in the second half of 2023, just as the country’s lockdown restrictions and border controls were lifted. While the report’s findings should not be interpreted as a complete representation of views in North Korea, they still provide rare insights into the lived experiences of ordinary North Koreans and expose key patterns of government culpability and negligence in managing the pandemic. Drawing on these findings, the authors discuss policy implications and offer recommendations for governments and international organizations seeking to improve the welfare of the North Korean people.

This report was made possible by generous support to CSIS and the George W. Bush Institute.