North Korea orders soldiers and police to 'shoot on sight' anyone within half a mile of the border in bid to stop spread of Covid-19

North Korea has ordered soldiers and police to 'shoot on sight' anyone within half a mile of the country's border with China in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus .

Pyongyang sources only learned of the draconian new measure less than a day before it took effect at midnight on Thursday.

Police in the city of Hoeryong said they would kill anyone within such a distance of the boundary 'regardless of their reason for being there', RFA reports.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, pictured, has ordered soldiers and police to 'shoot on sight' anyone within half a mile of the country's border with China in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus

The policy is being enforced along the entire 880-mile border until the end of the pandemic to try and prevent transmission of Covid-19 through contact with people from China.

The government is sending ammunition to the police to help carry out the ruthless new policy, with sources claiming 'no one will be held responsible for shooting deaths' that occur within such a distance.

The frontier has remained porous despite the two countries closing borders and suspending trade, as the North Korean economy relies on goods being smuggled in and out of China.

A refugee who previously escaped was able to return undetected, which left leader Kim Jong Un so furious he disbanded the military unit that was in charge of the part of the border he crossed.

Special forces troops were also sent to 'assist', but their main job was in fact to watch the guards for corruption, following reports of smugglers paying them to turn a blind eye when shipments are sent or received, according to RFA.

A source said: 'The emergency order stipulates that soldiers on border guard duty will leave behind their blank shots and carry only live ammunition.

'The authorities have sent the notorious special forces to the border area [to watch the border guard units] and now they are ordering the units to fire upon their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers with live ammunition.'

North Korea claims to be the only 'virus-free' country in the world, having not reported a single case, and is serious about maintaining such a status, even though it is widely doubted.

The government is sending ammunition to the police to help carry out the ruthless new policy, with sources claiming 'no one will be held responsible for shooting deaths' that occur within such a distance

The public were recently told 'the enemy is trying to infiltrate the border by sending the virus across it' as officials stressed the need to raise awareness and establish a system of reporting unusual activity near where the two countries meet.

Senior health officials were fired for failing to contain the virus following reports it was spreading in three separate parts of the country, including the capital, and the city of Kaesong was locked down in July over fears of an outbreak.







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