N.K. leader declares victory in fight against COVID-19: state media

SEOUL. KAZINFORM North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has declared victory in his country's emergency campaign against COVID-19, state media reported Thursday, three months after the nation reported its first COVID-19 outbreak, Yonhap reports.

Kim made the announcement during a national meeting on anti-epidemic measures he presided over the previous day in Pyongyang, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

He «solemnly declared the victory in the maximum emergency anti-epidemic campaign for exterminating the novel coronavirus that had made inroads into our territory and protecting the lives and health of the people,» it said in an English-language article.

Touting the success of three months of the impoverished nation's antivirus measures, Kim proclaimed a decision to lower its «maximum» emergency epidemic prevention system to a normal level.

Kim, however, stressed the need for continued vigilance and stricter measures in border areas to prevent COVID-19 from again entering the country, citing the global spread of variants and monkeypox.

«He clarified the principles and important tasks to be fulfilled in further consolidating the victory in the maximum emergency anti-epidemic campaign, maintaining the steel-strong anti-epidemic barrier and intensifying the anti-epidemic work until the end of the global health crisis,» the KCNA reported.

An unmasked Kim made the speech at a large hall crowded with officials who were all without masks, photos released by state media showed.

Photo: en.yna.co.kr