North Korea, on Thursday, 11 August, declared victory against the COVID-19 Pandemic despite suggestions from Kim Jong-un's sister that he himself contracted the virus during its height, stating that he was "seriously ill with a high fever."
"Even though he was seriously ill with a high fever, he could not lie down for a moment thinking about the people he had to take care of until the end in the face of the anti-epidemic war," she said.
Kim Jong-un called for pandemic preventative measures to be lifted while speaking at the meeting of health workers and scientists in Pyongyang.
He claimed the official death toll to be 74, with state-run media on Thursday reporting that Kim called it an "unprecedented miracle in the history of the world health community."
Kim added on to his claims of success by stating that "the victory gained by our people is a historic event that once again showed the world the greatness of our state, the indomitable tenacity of our people and the beautiful national customs we are proud of,” as reported by KCNA, a state-run news agency.
Kim Yo-jong's Warning to South Korea
Kim's prominent sister, Kim Yo-jong, also spoke on the issue, saying that the pandemic was started due to the propaganda leaflets that were flown over the border on balloons from South Korea.
She promised a "deadly" response if South Korea failed to prevent people from sending these balloons.
For years, activists and defector groups from South Korea have flown balloons dropping leaflets critical of Kim Jong-un.
“[South Korean] puppets are still thrusting leaflets and dirty objects into our territory. We must be tough in countering it,” Yo-jong said. She further called the pandemic a "farce" started by the south with the sole purpose of raising tensions between the two countries.
North Korean officials have been candid about the issue, with one report citing a senior official stating that there were multiple cases of public unrest after the COVID-19 outbreak was acknowledged this past May as the frightened public raided pharmacies amidst shortages in medicine.
Experts have doubted the low death toll that North Korea presented to the world, especially due to the country's reputation of having the worst health care infrastructure and their rejection of International vaccines.
Overall, many believe that the virus stopped Kim on focusing on more important matters for him – for example, his nuclear program. Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, believes that claiming a victory against COVID allows Kim to refocus his government and the country back onto issues such as the economy or nuclear tests.
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