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Kim Jong Un has warned North Korea of a “serious incident” related to the coronavirus pandemic, sparking fears of an outbreak in the isolated country.
The dictator accused senior officials of incompetence in managing North Korea’s efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19, according to a statement from Korea’s Central News Agency.
The negligence of officials of important party decisions in the face of the global health crisis and “caused a serious incident that poses a huge crisis for the security of the nation and its people,” he reported.
Kim was speaking Tuesday at an expanded meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party to address “chronic irresponsibility and incompetence” among bureaucrats, KCNA reported.
No further details were provided on the nature of the incident.
North Korea yes claimed zero cases of Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. In January 2020, Pyongyang quickly moved to cut off most land, sea and air routes in the country and instituted radical restrictions on internal movement.
Cash states the health system is severely lacking the resources, funding, and technology needed to respond to an uncontrolled outbreak of Covid-19, despite the Kim regime arsenal of chemicals and nuclear weapons.
According to the latest World Health Organization update, on June 17, North Korea has yet to report “any cases” after testing Covid-19 on more than 31,000 citizens. However, the movement between the capital Pyongyang and the provinces has been updated.
Kim Jong Un’s health has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks. It seems that the 37-year-old dictator has lost significant weight. According to an interview published in state media, normal North Koreans are concerned that weight loss is a sign of the leader’s suffering.
North Korea has access to the spikes through Gavi’s Covax program, the UN-backed alliance that seeks to ensure equitable access to vaccines worldwide. But the country has stopped short-term allowing foreign aid workers and medical experts in the country to help administer vaccines.
Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst in North Korea, now at the Rand Corporation, an American think tank, said the international community had been waiting for Pyongyang to “crack and show more signs of unrest.”
“That Kim chose to blame his cadres, instead of taking responsibility and taking concrete steps to correct the situation, may give some indication that Kim is taking the virus seriously, but perhaps not to the extent that it will move him to take the right decision, “she said.
However, Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said Kim’s statement “could pave the way for the self-isolated country to finally accept international pandemic assistance.”
Easley added, “Kim’s observation was probably made to justify what she will do next.”
Border closures, plummeting trade, sanctions and a typhoon last year have been blamed increased food insecurity this sparked fears of a humanitarian crisis in North Korea.
North Korea has been hit by the worsening situation of the country’s 25 million people wild currency swings and food prices in recent months.
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