International advocacy group Human Rights Watch says people in North Korea are suffering from an aggravated humanitarian situation due to the country's tightening of border controls in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

A report released by the group on Thursday looks into the impact of antivirus border restrictions by North Korean authorities since 2020.

It says satellite image analysis of six parts of the country's northern border shows that almost all of their total of 321 kilometers was fenced in 2022 and 2023, compared to 230 kilometers in 2019. It adds that the almost 500 kilometers of new fencing in those areas was mostly double- or triple-layered.

The report says 6,820 guard buildings or other facilities were detected near the fences, with an average of one every 110 meters. It adds that the number of facilities increased 20-fold since 2019.

It says that according to interviews with defectors and others, guards are ordered to shoot on sight any person approaching the border.

The report says the government's use of "overbroad, excessive, and unnecessary restrictions" has "worsened the country's already grave humanitarian and human rights situation." It adds that the restrictions have severely impacted food security and availability of essential products needed by North Koreans to survive.

Human Rights Watch criticized Pyongyang for putting priority on nuclear and missile programs instead of providing people with basic social services.

It also called on the UN Security Council and concerned governments to press North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to end the country's systematic human rights abuses.