North Korean Prime Official Reports Case Of COVID-19, Omicron BA.2 Subvariant In Pyongyang

North Korea's Pyongyang Municipal Hygienic and Anti-epidemic Center officers. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korea officially confirmed its first COVID-19 outbreak on Thursday, with state media reporting a sub-variant of the highly contagious Omicron virus, known as BA.2, had been detected in Pyongyang.

"There is the biggest emergency incident in the country, with a hole in front of our emergency quarantine, which has been kept safe for the last two years and three months since February 2020," state media said.

The report said people in Pyongyang had contracted the Omicron variant, without providing details on the number of cases or possible sources of infection.

Moreover, the report was published as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un chaired a Labor Party meeting to discuss the response to the first outbreak of the coronavirus.

Citing CNA, Leader Kim vowed to "conquer" the COVID-19 outbreak, declaring the country would implement a "maximum emergency" quarantine control system to contain the virus.

The official KCNA news agency reported that Leader Kim told an emergency politburo meeting "the aim is to remove the roots in the shortest possible time."

"He assured us, because of the high political awareness of the people, we will definitely overcome the emergency and win the emergency quarantine project," he said.

It is known, North Korea has never officially reported a case of COVID-19 infection before, since the COVID-19 pandemic began, although many people doubt it. North Korea has also implemented a strict border lockdown since the outbreak began.