Kim Jong-un’s sister reveals he was ‘seriously ill’ during Covid surge

Kim Jong Un’s sister stated that the North Korean leader had a “high fever” during a recent Covid outbreak, vowing to “eradicate” South Korean authorities if they continued to withstand propaganda leaflets blamed for the virus’ spread.

According to the official Korean Central News Agency on Thursday, Kim Yo Jong repeated questionable assertions that the pamphlets were to blame for the current Covid epidemic in the north, accusing “South Korean puppets” of sending “filthy items” across the border in flyers flown by balloons.

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According to KCNA, Kim Yo Jong claimed in a speech that the North Korean leader was “seriously ill” during his episode of fever.

She continued, saying that her brother “could not lie down for even a moment due to his concerns about the people.” She made no mention of the elder Kim’s illness’s date or of whether he was one of what North Korea refers to as “fever patients.”

Kim Jong Un smokes and is overweight, which has raised questions about his health for years. Since his family has a history of heart problems, his public appearances are constantly watched for clues about the dictatorial and shrouded leadership in Pyongyang.

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Even though the North Korean leader frequently disappears from public view in the summer to spend time at his megayacht and beach residence, Kim Jong Un went roughly 17 days without making an appearance in state media last month. He showed up at a gathering of the ruling party on Wednesday and declared “success” in the “great quarantine battle.”

Perhaps due to a shortage of test kits, North Korea hasn’t referred to its hundreds of thousands of reported fever cases as Covid.

According to reports, planned shipments of vaccines have been halted due to the nation’s opposition to Covax regulations, an organisation supported by the World Health Organization.

Kim Yo Jong delivered her first warning against President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration since it took office in May. In a speech, she said that “we will reply by removing not just the virus but also the South Korean authorities” if the enemy continued to engage in such risky behaviour that may spread a virus to our republic.

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The South Korean Unification Ministry called Kim Yo Jong’s remarks “rude” and unsupported, and it expressed “deep remorse” over them.

North Korea looks to be getting ready to execute its first nuclear test since 2017, according to US, South Korean, and Japanese government officials.

Any public show of Kim’s nuclear arsenal would serve as a reminder of Pyongyang’s urgent security threats, which have simmered while the government of US President Joe Biden has been preoccupied with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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 While most airports have been closed due to the pandemic, the authorities reestablished a rail link with China in January, and border crossings by black market traffickers are common. According to a UN agency, satellite photographs reveal marine traffic at Nampho, the country’s largest international port, and illegal trade is carried out on the open seas in defiance of sanctions.

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According to Kim Yo Jong, who added that her brother was responsible for an “epoch-making miracle” in eradicating the virus, “It is normal for us to view unusual objects as vehicles of the malignant pandemic disease.”

For years, North Korean defector-led activist groups have sent millions of anti-Pyongyang leaflets by balloon from South Korea, and Kim’s dictatorship frequently exploits them to inflame tensions.