At the same time, one could argue that the slightly different points of emphasis by the two communities lead to a more comprehensive coverage of the public health situation in North Korea. Public health concerns such as MDR-TB and the Coronavirus present unique opportunities for the two communities to cooperate. Sharing information can be an easy way to form a better mutual understanding of each other’s viewpoints and take another step towards professionalization and away from politicization.

Jessup Jong is a Policy Research Assistant at Harvard Medical School and an Aitchison Public Service Fellow in Government at Johns Hopkins University. David Baik studies International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Image: Reuters