The country's anti-virus headquarters said 62 people have died and more than 1.7 million have fallen ill amid a rapid spread of fever since late April.
Outside experts say most of the illnesses would be COVID-19, although North Korea has been able to confirm only a small number of COVID-19 cases since acknowledging an omicron outbreak last week, likely because of insufficient testing capabilities.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim during a ruling party Politburo meeting on Tuesdayover their early pandemic response, which he said underscored"immaturity in the state capacity for coping with the crisis" and blamed the vulnerability on their"non-positive attitude, slackness and non-activity."
KCNA said nearly 3,000 members of the Korean People's Army's medical units were helping the delivery of medicine to pharmacies, while more than 1.4 million officials, teachers and students in public health sectors were being deployed for checkups aimed at identifying people with symptoms so they could be quarantined.
It's unclear whether the North's admission of a COVID-19 outbreak communicates a willingness to accept outside help. Kim's government had shunned millions of vaccine shots offered by the U.N.-backed COVAX distribution program, likely because of international monitoring requirements attached to them.
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