SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a ceremony to thank and congratulate military doctors for spearheading the country’s fight against the coronavirus in the capital Pyongyang, state media said on Friday.
Thousands of Korean People’s Army doctors, who had been sent to the “emergency anti-epidemic front”, were fired after Kim declared victory over Covid-19 and eased restrictions last week.
Kim hosted the April 25 Culture House event in Pyongyang on Thursday to celebrate the “heroic feats” of medics on the front lines of the Covid battle in the country’s most populous city.
“Noting that the army doctors had gone to great lengths to defuse the anti-epidemic crisis in the capital, he warmly thanked (…) those who had shown the tireless spirit and strength our army’s invincible combat force,” KCNA’s official statement said. the agency said. “He specially called and commended the doctors who have performed distinguished feats in the capital’s anti-epidemic fight.”
KCNA said this week that the doctors returned to their units on Sunday without a dismissal ceremony, but Kim said he felt “empty and sorry” for not having done enough to publicly acknowledge their sacrifice, according to the report.
North Korea has never confirmed how many people have caught Covid, apparently lacking the tools to carry out large-scale testing.
Infectious disease experts have cast doubt on North Korea’s claims of progress, and the World Health Organization has said the Covid situation there may be getting worse, not better, citing the lack of independent data.
Thousands of Korean People’s Army doctors, who had been sent to the “emergency anti-epidemic front”, were fired after Kim declared victory over Covid-19 and eased restrictions last week.
Kim hosted the April 25 Culture House event in Pyongyang on Thursday to celebrate the “heroic feats” of medics on the front lines of the Covid battle in the country’s most populous city.
“Noting that the army doctors had gone to great lengths to defuse the anti-epidemic crisis in the capital, he warmly thanked (…) those who had shown the tireless spirit and strength our army’s invincible combat force,” KCNA’s official statement said. the agency said. “He specially called and commended the doctors who have performed distinguished feats in the capital’s anti-epidemic fight.”
KCNA said this week that the doctors returned to their units on Sunday without a dismissal ceremony, but Kim said he felt “empty and sorry” for not having done enough to publicly acknowledge their sacrifice, according to the report.
North Korea has never confirmed how many people have caught Covid, apparently lacking the tools to carry out large-scale testing.
Infectious disease experts have cast doubt on North Korea’s claims of progress, and the World Health Organization has said the Covid situation there may be getting worse, not better, citing the lack of independent data.
