Virus cases balloon in S. Korea as outbreak shifts, spreads

[NickB79]

5. Mandatory body cremation has been instituted in NK, with multiple reports of unusual deaths

https://thediplomat.com/2020/02/north-koreas-bizarre-strategies-for-tackling-the-coronavirus-outbreak/

The latest example is Pyongyang’s decision to make cremation mandatory in the country. North Korea’s central government reportedly ordered health and local authorities to burn all dead bodies, according to a North Korea-based source who spoke to Daily NK.

It is not uncommon to burn dead bodies to kill any viruses carried by the deceased, but residents in the North are unhappy with the decision since the government is preventing them from having a funeral and cremation is now mandatory regardless the cause of the death. In a country that still practices many Confucian-based death rituals, required cremation makes mourning difficult.