The purchases may be due to stricter coronavirus measures on the way for Pyongyang and don't appear related to reports this week that leader Kim Jong Un may be seriously ill, NK News reported, citing people who live in Pyongyang and were able to communicate outside the country.

from Times of India https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/north-korean-capital-sees-panic-buying-of-food-report/articleshow/75311649.cms