North Korea's Covid Scare? Soldiers Attend National Day Military Parade in Hazmat Suits

North Korea on Thursday released pictures of "paramilitary and public security forces" celebrating the 73rd founding anniversary of North Korea at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. The most bizarre and curious part of this night-military parade was that some soldiers were seen wearing orange hazmat suits.

Apocalyptic Orange Hazmat Suits

Photos released by the official KCNA news agency showed photographs of people in orange hazmat suits with medical-grade masks symbolizing the nation's anti-coronavirus campaign.

KCNA identified the hazmat suit-clad people as columns of emergency epidemic prevention and health ministry personnel who were marching to "display the advantages of the socialist system all over the world, while firmly protecting the security of the country and its people from the worldwide pandemic."

Hazmat Suits Conveys a Lot About North Korea's Covid-19 Condition

According to a BBC report, while North Korea has not received any vaccination jabs and has regularly claimed that the COVID situation in the country is under control, this parade could be a signal to their population that the state is trying to battle the pandemic.

This comes a week after the impoverished country rejected around three million doses of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, suggesting they should be given to countries in greater need.

North Korea has not confirmed any COVID-19 cases, but closed borders and imposed strict prevention measures, seeing the pandemic as a matter of national survival.

Pyongyang insists it has yet to see any cases of the virus — a claim that analysts doubt — but it has paid a huge economic price for the blockade, with the regime admitting in June it was tackling a "food crisis," reported AFP.

No Ballistic Missiles Seen in the Night Time Military Parade

KCNA said fighter jets flew in formation above the midnight parade and some conventional weapons were on display, including multiple rocket launchers and tractors carrying anti-tank missiles.

But no missiles were seen or mentioned in the reports, and Kim Jong-un did not deliver any speech, unlike last October when the country held a predawn military parade showcasing previously unseen intercontinental ballistic missiles, according to Reuters.

During the procession, planes flew above the rogue nation's capital Pyongyang firing flares, and paratroopers dropped from aircraft in the nights sky, according to local media reports.

Images released overnight show Kim looking considerably skinnier as he's hugged by two adoring children and salutes men marching biohazard suits in the parade, reported The Sun.

Social Media Reactions

Netizens were amazed by the orange hazmat suits with some saying the celebrations were a "rehearsal for Halloween night." One internet user said, "Gosh! It's like a freaky dystopian film!" Another said, "Reminds me of the last bit of 'Another brick in the wall' video".

One comment read, "I guess they received too many hazmat suits for Covid."

One user twitted, "This country is now being dramatic." Another shared, "At least they are taking corona seriously."