N. Korea again extends school break over coronavirus

North Korea has again extended the vacation of kindergartens and schools across the country over coronavirus concerns, the unification ministry said Thursday.

Late last month, the North said that it had postponed the opening of kindergartens and schools, without mentioning exact dates, as part of the country's stepped-up efforts to prevent an outbreak of the new coronavirus in the country.

"Recently, North Korean state media reported that school breaks were extended once again," the ministry said in a report released Thursday.

There was no mention of exactly when the new school year would restart, the ministry said.

Kindergartens and schools in North Korea are usually on vacation from January to mid-February.

The latest measure comes as North Korea is intensifying its efforts to prevent the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, including shutting down its border with neighboring China and tightening quarantine measures on people and goods entering the country.

In late February, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting of the ruling party, instructing officials to "seal off all the channels and space through which the infectious disease may find its way, and strengthen checkups, tests and quarantines."

Concerns are lingering that North Korea could be vulnerable, as it shares a long and porous border with China and lacks key medical supplies and infrastructure to test and treat infected people. (Yonhap)