Kim Jong-un Says North Korea Is Winning Battle Against COVID-19

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with his sister Kim Yo-jong. (TheThings Celebrity YouTube Screenshot)

JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared victory in the battle against the coronavirus, ordering the lifting of maximum anti-epidemic measures in place since May, state media said Thursday.

North Korea has not disclosed how many confirmed infections of the virus it has found, but since July 29 it has reported no new suspected cases, while international aid organizations have cited limited testing.

While lifting maximum anti-pandemic measures, Leader Kim said North Korea should maintain a "strong anti-epidemic barrier and intensify anti-epidemic work until the end of the global health crisis," according to a report by state news agency KCNA. August.

Analysts meanwhile say that although authoritarian North Korea has used the pandemic to tighten social controls, its declaration of victory could be the start of restoring trade hampered by border lockdowns and other restrictions.

Analysts also say it may pave the way for North Korea to test nuclear weapons for the first time since 2017.

North Korea's official death rate of 74 people is an "unprecedented miracle" compared to other countries, KCNA reported, citing other officials.

Instead of confirmed cases, North Korea reported the number of people with fever symptoms. The daily cases peaked on May 15, with 392,920 people experiencing fever, prompting health experts to warn of an inevitable crisis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has cast doubt on North Korea's claims, saying last month it believed the situation was getting worse, not better, in the absence of independent data.

Pyongyang's declaration of victory comes despite no known vaccine program. Instead, the country says it relies on lockdowns, self-implanted drug treatments and what Leader Kim calls a "profitable Korean-style socialist system."

North Korea says it is carrying out intensive medical checks nationwide, with daily PCR tests on water collected in border areas among the measures.

He also said he had developed new methods to better detect the virus and its variants, as well as other infectious diseases, such as monkeypox.

Leader Kim ordered the lifting of maximum anti-pandemic measures, but said North Korea must maintain a "strong anti-epidemic barrier and intensify anti-epidemic work until the end of the global health crisis."

Her sister, Kim Yo-jong, said the North Korean leader himself was suffering from fever symptoms, and blamed leaflets from South Korea for the outbreak.

"Even though he is seriously ill with a high fever, he can't lie down for a moment thinking about the people he has to look after to the end in the face of the anti-epidemic war," he said in a speech, praising his brother's efforts.