Kim Jong-un signal for help could mark a turning point in North Korea’s Covid fight

Analysis: leader's talk of huge crisis, despite no admission of Covid cases, comes amid concerns over health infrastructure and food shortages

Almost 18 months after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, North Korea has come close to conceding that its attempts to keep the virus from its borders have failed.

While North Korea's state-controlled media have not reported any cases, some analysts assume the virus has breached the country's defences, prompting its leader, Kim Jong-un, to issue a coded request for outside help this week.