PYONGYANG: A maskless Kim Jongun was one of the pallbearers at the state funeral for a top military officer, North Korean state
media reported yesterday, days after Pyongyang claimed its Covid-19 outbreak was now under control.
Kim at the weekend attended the funeral of Hyon Chol Hae, a Korean People’s Army marshal and reportedly Kim’s mentor. The North Korean
leader has put himself front and centre of his country’s Covid-19 response, blaming state officials for worsening the Omicron outbreak.
Over the weekend, KCNA said the epidemic was now “being stably controlled”, and reported the death toll “sharply decreased day by day”.
Experts question the claim and tally, given that the country has one of the world’s worst health-care systems and no Covid-19 drugs or mass testing ability.
It has not vaccinated any of its 25 million people, having rejected jabs offered by the World Health Organization.
North Korea announced its first Covid-19 case on May 12, despite a two-year blockade. |