Kim Jong Un Scolds North Korea Cadres for Complacency on Virus

North Korea’s leader appears for first time in about a month
Pyongyang has not confirmed a single case of the coronavirus

Health officials disinfect a corridor at the Pyongchon District People's Hospital in Pyongyang on April 1.Photographer: Kim Won Jin/AFP via Getty Images

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By Jeong-Ho Lee

July 3, 2020 at 1:13 AM UTC

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in about a month to chastise some top cadres over their management of the coronavirus, amid speculation he may be isolating himself due to the pandemic.

During a Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party meeting, Kim warned officials they may be growing complacent after a six month campaign to keep the disease out of the country, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Friday.