“Quarantine war” against Corona
Sister: Kim Jong Un suffered from “high fever”
08/11/2022 10:52 am
North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un declares the corona virus defeated in his country. As his sister now suggests, he was probably ill himself. She blames South Korea for the Corona outbreak, speaks of “crimes against humanity” – and threatens.
According to his sister, North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un fell ill himself during the Corona outbreak in the country. Kim “suffered from a high fever during the days of this quarantine war,” Kim Yo Jong told state news agency KCNA. “But he couldn’t lie down for a moment and he thought about the people he is responsible for.” It is the first time that North Korea has mentioned a possible corona infection of its ruler.
Kim Jong Un had previously announced a “brilliant victory” in the fight against the corona pandemic. At a meeting with health officials, he said, according to KCNA, “the victory achieved by our people is a historic event that once again shows the world the greatness of our state and the indomitable tenacity of our people.” Officials had previously said that there had been no new corona case for almost two weeks.
North Korea, which is largely isolated internationally, confirmed an outbreak of the omicron variant in the capital Pyongyang in May. According to KCNA, a total of 4.8 million infections and just 74 deaths were reported, which would represent an extremely low mortality rate. Now there is said to have been no new case since July 29.
There are no vaccinations against Corona
According to experts, the country has one of the worst health systems in the world. The hospitals are poorly equipped and only have a few intensive care units, so there are no vaccinations against the corona virus or medication against Covid-19. North Korea always spoke of “fever patients” in case reports, not “Covid patients” – possibly due to a lack of testing capacity.
Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister now blamed South Korea for the Corona outbreak and threatened retaliation. Yo Jong said balloons carrying flyers and money sent across the border by South Korean activists led to the outbreak, according to a KCNA report.
Many countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) have recognized “the risk of spreading an infectious disease through contact with contaminated objects,” Yo Jong said. “It is worrying that South Korea is sending flyers, money, shoddy pamphlets and items to our region.”
She spoke of a “crime against humanity” and threatened “strong retaliation”: If more balloons are launched from South Korea towards North Korea, “we will not only wipe out the virus, but also the South Korean authorities”.