Historically North Korea and other similar communist dictatorships tried to hide from the world any domestic problems they experienced. The latest decision by Pyongyang to ask for international help in dealing with the flu could be a sign that the outbreak is worse than previously thought.
North Korea only recently admitted to having an outbreak. Pyongyang first tried to deal with the problem itself. A South Korean reporter initially learned about a potential avian flu outbreak in the North, prompting the World Health Organization to pressure Pyongyang into releasing more information.