Crucial case could undermine North Korean's anti-epidemic efforts: Kim Jong-un

Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has admitted that the detection of a "crucial case" could undermine the country's anti-epidemic efforts, state media reported on Wednesday.

Without elaborating on what the "crucial case" was, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim made the remarks while presiding over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Tuesday.

"Senior officials in charge of important state affairs neglected the implementation of the important decisions of the party on taking organisational, institutional, material, scientific and technological measures associated with the worldwide health crisis, and thus caused a crucial case of creating a great crisis in ensuring the security of the state and safety of the people and entailed grave consequences," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

The KCNA report said that the leader accused senior officials of neglecting their duties in carrying out measures needed to fight the global pandemic,

Till date, North Korea has claimed to be coronavirus-free but has enforced tight border controls and other measures since the beginning of the global outbreak of the pandemic earlier last year, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency said in a report.

The North has recently called for "maximum vigilance" against Covid-19 amid concerns over the global spread of the highly contagious Delta variant and pandemic fatigue.

During Tuesday's meeting, Kim also called for "a more fierce partywide campaign" against "ideological faults and all sorts of negative elements".