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Post by Admin on Jun 30, 2021 20:49:21 GMT
Kim Jong-un has berated top officials over lapses which caused a "grave incident" related to Covid-19, North Korean state media report.
It was a rare sign of the pandemic's severity in North Korea, which previously insisted it had no Covid cases - a claim doubted by experts.
The country has closed its borders to keep out the virus.
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Post by Admin on Jul 1, 2021 5:00:34 GMT
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the failure to implement measures to tackle the coronavirus had caused a "great crisis" and he chastised ruling party officials for risking the safety of the country and people, state media reported on Wednesday.
The report by state news agency KCNA did not elaborate on the nature of the crisis or how it put people at risk.
North Korea has not officially confirmed any COVID-19 cases, a position questioned by South Korean and U.S. officials. But the reclusive country has imposed strict anti-virus measures, including border closures and domestic travel curbs.
Kim called a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea politburo to address some party executives' neglect of duty, including failing to implement important long-term measures to fight the pandemic, the KCNA state news agency said.
"He mentioned that senior officials in charge of important state affairs neglected the implementation of the important decisions of the Party ... and thus caused a crucial case of creating a great crisis in ensuring the security of the state and safety of the people and entailed grave consequences," the news agency said.
Several politburo members, secretaries of the central committee, and officials of several state agencies were replaced at the meeting, though KCNA did not specify if the shakeups were related to the neglect of pandemic-related duty.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a plenary meeting of the Workers' Party central committee in Pyongyang, North Korea in this photo supplied by North Korea's Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 10, 2021. KCNA via REUTERS When asked about Kim's remarks, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun said officials in Seoul were aware of the report but had nothing to add.
"During this pandemic era we have publicly expressed our willingness to help (North Korea) ranging from PCR tests to whatever you can imagine," he told reporters at a briefing.
North Korea has treated the protection of its people from the coronavirus as a matter of national survival and anti-pandemic decisions are made by some of its most senior leaders, said Harvard Medical School’s Kee B. Park, who has worked on health care projects in North Korea.
"The main objective of North Korea’s strategy is to prevent the virus from even getting into the country while simultaneously strengthening its treatment capabilities as well as acquiring vaccines," he said.
North Korea’s all-of-government, comprehensive approach and the repeated holding of large-scale public gatherings suggest that it may have prevented any major outbreak, Park said.
"However, the success comes with steep cost to its economy and increased vulnerability for the poorest of the population," he said.
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Post by Admin on Aug 13, 2022 22:05:47 GMT
North Korea's first lady cries next to Kim Jong Un during armistice event 587,375 views Jul 28, 2022 North Korea's first lady Ri Sol-ju cried next to her husband and leader Kim Jong-un while singing the national anthem during an event marking the 69th anniversary of the July 27 Korean War armistice, footage aired on Thursday from state-run television KRT showed. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► bit.ly/guardianwiressubIn a speech to commemorate the event, Kim said his country is ready to mobilise its nuclear war deterrent and denounced South Korea's new conservative president Yoon Suk-yeol by name for the first time, labelling attempts to neutralise the North's military as 'nonsense'. Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► theguardian.com/first-edition
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Post by Admin on Jan 3, 2023 20:41:31 GMT
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Post by Admin on Mar 8, 2023 17:19:03 GMT
Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong threatened the US on Tuesday against intercepting any North Korean missile tests over the Pacific Ocean, calling any interference a "declaration of war." It's a rare public warning from Kim Yo Jong — and a sign she could be gaining more influence in her brother's government. According to a press release on the Korean Central News Agency, Kim said the Pacific "does not belong to the dominium of the US or Japan" and reaffirmed North Korea's right to test weapons in the area. Kim specifically referenced the country's plans to test intercontinental ballistic missiles. "It will be regarded as a clear declaration of war against the DPRK, in case such military response as interception takes place against our tests of strategic weapons," Kim said. Her involvement in her brother's government has been a mystery, but she's been more public recently. The Wall Street Journal reported that Kim Yo Jong has long been seen as Kim Jong Un's unofficial second-in-command and a potential heir to North Korea's leadership if her brother should become incapacitated or die suddenly. One of her most public appearances came in 2018 when Kim became the first member of North Korea's ruling family to visit South Korea for the Pyeongchang's Winter Olympics, the Journal said. Kim Jong Un has appointed a variety of women to prominent roles in his regime. Experts believe the increasing prominence of his daughter Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to be 10 or 11 years old, may signal that he is preparing her as an heir. Meanwhile, tensions have ramped up in the area as the US and South Korean militaries conduct training exercises nearby. The Associated Press reported that one drill on Monday involved the US and South Korea flying a B-52 bomber over the Korean Peninsula. The allies also simulated a North Korean nuclear crisis for a tabletop exercise in February. In the coming weeks, their militaries have a variety of drills planned including their largest field exercises ever. Read the original article on Business Insider
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