Abstract
North Korea has instituted a "zero Covid-19 policy," involving border lockdowns and quarantine measures, that it claims has enabled the country to remain Covid-free. The country is one of two in the world that has not begun a Covid-19 vaccination initiative. North Korea's zero Covid-19 policy has precipitated secondary health and food crises. The combined effects of the lockdown, continued UN sanctions, and severe weather caused North Korea's economy to contract by 4.5 percent in 2020, the worst decline since the great famine of the 1990s. The lockdown creates an added impediment to denuclearization talks, which have been stalled since 2019.