Is this North Korea's answer to Dr. Fauci?

STORY: Is this North Korea’s answer to Dr. Fauci?

The softly-spoken, little known official, Ryu Yong Chol, has become the public face of the country’s battle against its first confirmed COVID-19 outbreak.

Every morning this week, at 9:30, Ryu has appeared on North Korean television, reporting on the number of people with fever and new deaths - as well explaining public health measures.

Drawing parallels with the U.S. COVID-19 czar Dr Anthony Fauci or the director of South Korea's disease prevention agency, Jeong Eun-kyeong.

Since confirming its first outbreak and declaring a state of emergency last week, the usually isolated country has changed tack.

"We are aggressively broadcasting informative programs in the media as residents want to know about this epidemic, clinical courses, and medical treatments.”

Appearing to take a page from playbooks of many other countries, it is releasing detailed data about the spread of the virus and advice on how to avoid it.

Ryu works for the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, according to state-run television KCNA, which appears to be newly set up to tackle COVID-19.

Like its South Korean equivalent, the North Korean agency holds daily briefings, chaired by Ryu, though without questions from reporters.

The new North Korean media strategy of apparent openness on COVID appears to be a departure from the norm for the usually secretive state.

Experts believe it could be resulting from a push by leader Kim Jong-un to build a “normal state” by improving transparency and acknowledging defects.

However, Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul says it all might not be what it seems.

He pointed out what seem to be significantly lower fatalities than elsewhere, saying the death toll may have been under-reported to head off political trouble

"There was a strategic approach that it can be overcome through active participation of residents. However, if the number of confirmed cases or deaths is too high, then it will likely stoke people's fear and sour public sentiment, so they might have under-reported the numbers."

North Korea has reported over two million people with fever and at least 65 deaths among its 25 million people.

It lacks testing capacity and has not specified how many of those people have been confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.