North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hailed a “shining triumph” against COVID-19 as his sister disclosed he had become unwell during the outbreak, which she blamed on Seoul, according to state media on Thursday.

According to the official Korean Central News Agency, Kim declared a “success” in the struggle against the malignant pandemic sickness while speaking to a conference of health professionals and scientists.

The secluded government, which has maintained a strict coronavirus embargo since the outbreak’s inception, verified an Omicron outbreak in Pyongyang in May and launched a “maximum emergency epidemic prevention mechanism.”

In the case of reports, North Korea refers to “fever patients” rather than “COVID patients,” owing to a lack of testing capabilities.

According to state media, it has registered approximately 4.8 million “fever” illnesses and only 74 fatalities, for an official mortality rate of 0.002%. It has not reported any new instances since July 29.

This pandemic response, “is a miracle unprecedented in the world’s public health history,” Kim said to thunderous applause, according to KCNA.

“The victory gained by our people is a historic event.”

According to another KCNA article, Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s influential sister, stated the top leader was unwell throughout the epidemic.

“he was suffering from high fever during the days of this quarantine war, but he could not lie down for a moment as he was thinking about the people he was responsible for,” his sister said.

This is the first time North Korea has stated that its leader, whose health is being closely monitored by experts, has been afflicted with the coronavirus.

Yo Jong also stated that South Korea was to blame for the country’s COVID-19 epidemic, threatening “retaliation.”

North Korea has previously claimed that “alien creatures” near the country’s southern border triggered the COVID outbreak, which Seoul has denied.

Despite a prohibition that went into force in 2021, South Korean activists have been flying balloons bearing propaganda pamphlets and US money across the border for years, something Pyongyang has long condemned.

Such activities, according to Yo Jong, are a “crime against humanity,” and Pyongyang is planning “a serious retaliation response.”

On Thursday, Seoul’s Unification Ministry claimed North Korea was making “groundless claims” and regretted Pyongyang’s “rude and threatening words.”