Kim Jong-un fell ‘seriously ill with fever’ during COVID-19 outbreak across North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong has said that her brother fell "seriously ill with a high fever". Kim Yo-jong suggested that her brother was among those who contracted the virus and stressed that Kim Jong-un "could not lie down for a moment" as he thought about the people he had to take care of until the "end in the face of anti-endemic war," The Guardian reported. In her remarks at a meeting of health workers and scientists in Pyongyang, Kim Yo-Jong called for an easing of restrictions and termed 74 deaths an "unprecedented miracle in the history of the world health community."

Kim Yo-Jong also blamed the COVID-19 outbreak in North Korea on leaflets flown from South Korea. She made the remarks as North Korea declared victory in its battle against the virus. She warned of "deadly retaliation" if South Korea did not stop the activists from flying the leaflets. She blamed the country's virus situation on a "hysteric farce" from South Korea to escalate tensions, Yonhap news agency reported.

Notably, North Korea had insisted that they had not recorded a single case of COVID-19 in the first two years of the pandemic. However, authorities in May reported around 4.8 million cases of fever in North Korea which has a population of 26 million. North Korea had also declined offers from countries to provide vaccines for the people against COVID-19. In July, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the situation was turning worse with no independent information. 

North Korea declares victory in emergency campaign against COVID-19

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared victory in his country's emergency campaign against COVID-19 on August 11. The statement of Kim Jong-un comes three months after North Korea reported its first COVID-19 outbreak. He made the announcement during a national meeting on anti-epidemic measures. Kim Jong-un "declared victory" in the emergency anti-epidemic campaign to eliminate the virus from North Korea. In the meeting, the North Korean leader decided to lower its "maximum" emergency epidemic prevention system to a normal level. He called for continued vigilance and stricter measures in border regions to stop COVID-19 from entering North Korea. 

Image: AP