North Korean leader Kim Jong-un chaired a meeting of the Politburo of the North Korean Workers' Party and discussed measures to prevent the COVID-19 epidemic, including increased testing and quarantine efforts, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on the morning of February 29.
Speaking at the North Korean Labor Party meeting, Mr. Kim Jong-un emphasized that the fight against COVID-19 is an urgent issue in protecting the people and requires maximum discipline.
"In the event of an epidemic spreading beyond control into our country, it will lead to serious consequences" - KCNA quoted Mr. Kim Jong-un as saying.
Two senior North Korean officials - two Vice Chairmen of the North Korean Labor Party Ri Man-gon and Pak Thae-dok - have been dismissed, and a party unit has been dissolved over corruption allegations related to disease prevention measures.
The North Korean president has called for no special exceptions and for officials to close all channels and spaces where the epidemic could enter.
Pyongyang has not announced any COVID-19 infections as the epidemic has claimed more than 2,800 lives and infected more than 84,000 people in dozens of countries and territories around the world since its outbreak in China. In Korea, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly 3,000 viral infections - the highest number outside mainland China.
In the context of the COVID-19 epidemic spreading in many countries, including countries sharing borders, North Korea has closed the border to prevent the spread of the epidemic into this country.
North Korea has banned tourists, suspended international flights and trains as well as quarantined hundreds of foreigners to prevent the epidemic. The country has also postponed the start of the new school year in schools.
In a noteworthy move related to North Korean President Kim Jong-un, KCNA reported that Mr. Kim Jong-un inspected a joint exercise of the country's army on February 28. The exercise inspection was a notable public appearance of the North Korean leader in the context of the epidemic.
During the trip to the exercise to "assess the mobile capacity and attack the firepower of the defensive units in the front and the eastern region" Kim Jong-un expressed confidence that the armed forces will develop stable combat capacity, according to KCNA. However, the newsletter did not state the details of the tested weapons and the venue for the exercise.
