Coronavirus: North Korea’s Kim Jong-un says Covid-19 ‘great turmoil’ as 21 new deaths reported

North Korea made an unprecedented admission of its first Covid outbreak this week, after claiming no infections since the start of the pandemic two years ago

Since late April, 524,440 people have shown signs of fever including 174,440 new cases on Friday state media reported

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during a Politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party in Pyongyang, North Korea in June 2021. Kim ripped into senior ruling party and government officials over what he described as a serious lapse in national efforts to fend off Covid-19. Photo: KCNA/Korea News Service via AP

Published: 11:15am, 14 May 2022

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said on Saturday that the spread of Covid-19 had put the country in “great turmoil” and called for an all-out battle to overcome the epidemic, while 21 new deaths were reported for a day earlier among people with fevers.

North Korea made an unprecedented admission of its first Covid outbreak this week, after claiming no infections for more than two years since the start of the pandemic, but there was no sign a rigorous testing or treatment campaign was under way.

Given North Korea’s limited testing capabilities, the numbers released probably represent a small fraction of total infections, which could lead to thousands of deaths in one of only two countries without a Covid vaccination campaign, according to experts.

An employee of the Kyonghung Foodstuff General Store disinfects the showroom in Pyongyang, North Korea on Wednesday. Photo: AP

The country’s ruling Workers’ Party met for an emergency meeting and heard reports of about 280,810 people being treated and 27 overall deaths since a fever of unidentified origins was reported starting in late April, KCNA news agency said.

“The spread of the malignant epidemic is a great turmoil to fall on our country since the founding,” state news agency KCNA quoted Kim as telling the meeting.

“But if we don’t lose focus in implementing epidemic policy and maintain strong organisation power and control based on single-minded unity of the party and the people and strengthen our epidemic battle, we can more than overcome the crisis.”

State media did not say whether the new deaths were due to Covid. KCNA said on Friday that one death had been confirmed to be due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.