Kim Jong Un reprimands North Korean officials for ‘significant’ virus lapse
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reprimanded top officials for failures in containment of the coronavirus that caused a “great crisis”, using strong language that shocked the specter of a massive outbreak in a country Gave birth who would hardly be able to handle it.
State media reports on Wednesday did not specify what “critical” omission prompted Kim to convene a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, but experts said North Korea was facing a significant setback in its pandemic fight. Can wrestle with.
So far, North Korea has claimed that it has had no coronavirus infection, despite testing thousands of people and sharing a porous border with China. Experts widely doubt the claim and are concerned about any possible outbreak given the country’s poor health infrastructure.
At the Politburo meeting, Kim criticized senior officials for perceived incompetence, irresponsibility and inaction in planning and implementing anti-virus measures amid the protracted pandemic, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
According to KCNA, Kim said, “Senior officials in charge of important state affairs for a long time neglected the implementation of important party decisions on taking the necessary organizational, institutional, material, scientific and technical measures for the state emergency epidemic prevention campaign.” ” This “created an important case of creating a major crisis in ensuring the security of the state and the safety of the people and had dire consequences.”
The report also said the party recalled an unspecified member of the powerful Presidium of the Politburo, which includes Kim and four other top officials.
Hong Min, a senior analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification, said the reference indicated that Kim could replace his cabinet premier, Kim Tok Hoon, who would be held responsible for failures in the government’s anti-epidemic work.
There was also speculation that Kim Jong Un may have sacked Ri Pyong Chol, one of his top military officials. North Korean TV video of the meeting shows Ri looking down and not participating in a vote as Kim and other senior officials on stage raised their hands to signal their agreement on a matter that was not broadcast specified. used to do.
“There is no chance that North Korea will ever admit to the infection – even if there have been mass transmissions, the North will certainly not reveal such developments and will continue to pursue an anti-virus campaign.” , which is claimed to be the largest.” Hong said.
“But it is also clear that something important had happened and it was so big that the senior officers could be reprimanded. This could mean a large-scale infection or some kind of situation where a lot of people were put at direct risk of infection. “
Cheong Seong-chang, an analyst at South Korea’s private Sejong Institute, expressed a similar view, saying North Korea is potentially dealing with bigger problems related to the virus in border cities near China, such as Sinuiju or Hessan.
But other experts said Kim could respond to illegal border trade defying his lockdown measures or setting the stage for a political shakeup or purge to tighten his grip on power as he returns to his nine years. Perhaps the toughest time of governance.
South Korea’s unification ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, said it had no immediate information to share about the North Korean report and would not prejudice the country’s virus status.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin expressed the possibility of helping North Korea in the event of a large outbreak of COVID-19.
“China and the DPRK have a long tradition of helping each other when they face difficulties,” Wang said, referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“If necessary, China will actively consider providing assistance to the DPRK.”
From the start of the pandemic, North Korea described its anti-virus efforts as “a matter of national survival”, banning tourists, ousting diplomats and severely curtailing cross-border traffic and trade . The lockdown has further strained an economy already grappling with decades of mismanagement and US-led sanctions on the country’s nuclear weapons program.
Kim during a political conference earlier this month called on officials to adhere to prolonged COVID-19 restrictions, indicating the country is unwilling to open its borders despite its economic crisis.
North Korea has told the World Health Organization that it has not detected a single coronavirus infection after testing more than 30,000 people, many of whom have fever or respiratory symptoms.
North Korea’s expanded border controls come amid uncertainties over the country’s vaccination prospects. COVAX, the United Nations-backed program to send COVID-19 vaccines around the world, said in February that North Korea could receive 1.9 million doses in the first half of the year, but plans have been delayed due to global shortages.
“Kim will likely receive the scapegoat for this incident, purge the treacherous officials and blame their ideological flaws. This may provide Pyongyang with justification for demanding that citizens hunk more, but it may also provide vaccines from overseas. There may also be political preparation to accept,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Iwa Women’s University in Seoul.
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