A/75/388 sanctions adopted in 2017 “could exacerbate an already difficult situation in the country for those employed in sectors directly or indirectly affected by sanctions”, including through loss of employment and increased restrictions on commercial activities (S/2020/151, annex, para. 209). The textile sector, one of the exportprohibited sectors, and informal commercial activities, for instance, are dominated by women, and any detrimental consequences on those sectors have a particular impact on women’s rights. Since the adoption of additional sanctions in 2017, 1 exports from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea have significantly decreased, from $2.63 billion in 2016 to $1.65 billion in 2017 and $200 million in 2018. 2 The country’s exports to China experienced a 90 per cent decrease in 2018 compared to 2017 and its trade dependence on China increased to 95.2 per cent in 2019. 3 Foreign currency reserves have been decreasing and ordinary citizens in the country have been suffering from the failing economy and increasing demand from the Government to provide monetary and labour contributions. 6. In January 2020, when the global COVID-19 outbreak began, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had to contend with difficulties relating to the pandemic in conjunction with one of the most severe sanctions regimes imposed on any country in the world, as well as systemic economic problems and unusually bad weather conditions. Since January 2020, the authorities have suspended all travel in and out of the country, imposed travel restriction between cities and regions and introduced strict quarantine measures. 7. In August and September 2020, the country was hit hard by a series of natural disasters resulting in damage to infrastructure, including roads, railroads and bridges, and houses and crops. Owing to strict COVID-19 preventative measures, the international staff presence of the United Nations humanitarian agencies in the country has fallen below 20 per cent, which will have an impact on their response. Several Political Bureau meetings of the Central Committee of the Workers’ P arty of Korea were held to discuss issues involving COVID-19 and typhoons. On 19 August, at the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Chairman Kim Jong Un reportedly admitted that the authorities had failed to improve the lives of citizens. The adopted decisions stated that the “economy was not improved in the face of the sustaining severe internal and external situations and unexpected manifold challenges, thereby planned attainment of the goals for improving the national economy has been seriously delayed and the people’s living standard not been improved remarkably”. 4 That realistic assessment of the economic challenges in the country should be the basis for a new five-year economic plan to be announced in January 2021. 8. In June 2020, partly as a reaction to the balloons with anti-leadership leaflets launched across the border by civil society organizations in the Republic of Korea, the authorities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea heightened t ensions with the Republic of Korea. On 9 June, State media reported that Kim Yo Jong and __________________ 1 2 3 4 4/21 Security Council resolutions 2371 (2017), 2375 (2017) and 2397 (2017) adopted in August, September and December, respectively. Hong Jea Hwan, “COVID-19 shock and North Korea economy”, Korea Institute for National Unification, Online Series, 12 August 2020, p. 2. Korea International Trade Association, “Inter-Korean Trade Report 2019”, vol. 3, p. 4 (in Korean). Available at www.kita.net/asocGuidance/nesDta/nesDtaFileDown.do?nPostidx= 8789&nIndex=2&orignlFileNm=%EB%AC%B4%ED%98%91%EB%B3%B4%EA%B3%A0%E C%84%9C-2019%20%EC%83%81%EB%B0%98%EA%B8%B0%20%EB%B6%81%EC% A4%91%20%EB%AC%B4%EC%97%AD%EB%8F%99%ED%96%A5%EA%B3%BC%20%EC %8B%9C%EC%82%AC%EC%A0%90(%EB%82%A8%EB%B6%81%ED%98%91%EB%A0%A 5%EC%8B%A4).pdf. See NK News reporting on the Korean Central News Agency. Available at https://kcnawatch.jp/newstream/1597875650-385884100/8th-congress-of-wpk-to-be-convened/. 20-13513