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North Korea declares victory over COVID

STORY: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared victory over Covid-19, as his sister hinted that he too had caught the virus.

Kim blamed South Korea for causing the outbreak and vowed “deadly retaliation” in a speech on Wednesday (August 10).

He ordered the lifting of maximum Covid restrictions that have been in place since May.

Analysts said the victory declaration could be a prelude to restoring trade with China, which was hampered by border lockdowns.

KCNA news agency reported on Thursday (August 11) that Kim also said North Korea must maintain a “steel-strong anti-epidemic barrier and intensify the anti-epidemic work until the end of the global health crisis.”

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Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North Korean leader had suffered symptoms, when he was, quote, "seriously ill with a high fever".

Officials wiped away tears as she made the remarks on North Korean state television, indicating for the first time that he had likely caught the virus.

She also blamed propaganda leaflets from South Korea found near the border for causing the outbreak.

North Korea has never confirmed how many people caught COVID, apparently due to the lack of testing supplies.

Instead, it reported daily cases of "fever", a tally that rose to nearly 5 million people.

North Korean defectors and activists in the South have for decades floated balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the North – at times along with food, medicine, money and other items.