North Korea declared victory towards covid-19 this week, claiming the remoted nation eradicated the virus and closely implying dictator Kim Jong Un had contracted the illness however recovered (he had a “high fever), according to a new report from North Korean state media. Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, also claimed that South Korea had intentionally caused covid-19 to spread in the North, according to NK News.

“The long-suffered quarantine war is finally over and today, we are able to solemnly declare victory,” Kim Jong Un stated in Pyongyang on Wednesday, in accordance with an English language translation by NKNews.

The nation reported its first case of covid-19 on May 12 of this yr and rapidly tallied tens of millions of circumstances by June. Officially, North Korea has recorded over 4.7 million circumstances and simply 74 deaths from the illness, however these numbers are clearly regarded as an unlimited undercount.

“The death toll of just 74 people in this period is extremely low and can be considered the greatest miracle in the world health community,” Kim stated, in accordance with NKNews.

North Korea declined most worldwide affords for covid-19 vaccines and possibly doesn’t have a nationwide vaccination program towards the illness, although it’s believed China began supplying the nation with some doses in latest months. It’s unclear if Kim was vaccinated when he seemingly contracted covid.

And North Korean state media was in high type in declaring all the things with the bombast you’d anticipate from a dictatorship on Thursday.

“When the respected General Secretary appeared at the platform of the venue of the meeting, all the participants broke into enthusiastic cheers for him, peerless leader, who has vigorously led the Party, state and people to the final victory of the great anti-epidemic war with his tireless and devoted efforts and noble love for the future, out of his heavy duty for taking care of the destiny of the country and the people,” KCNA stated in launch published online.

While it’s unlikely North Korea’s covid-19 case numbers are appropriate, it’s throughout the realm of risk that the regime has practically eradicated covid-19. As we’ve seen in China, the place it’s arguably tougher to cover a pandemic, it’s fully potential to get case numbers down you probably have a considerable amount of management over a given inhabitants’s actions. North Korea is much more restrictive than China, leaving open the likelihood that the nation actually did get circumstances means down if individuals have been compelled to remain residence for a couple of months.

And, once more, the story from state media states this “victory” within the cartoonishly bizarre method we’ve come to anticipate, particularly about Kim Jong-Un.

“Affirming that the priceless victory gained by us constitutes the victory of our Party’s anti-epidemic policy, the victory of our state’s counter-crisis strategy, the victory of the tenacity and the single-minded unity peculiar to our people and the great victory brought by the advantageous Korean-style socialist system,” KCNA continued.

“He highly praised the workers in the anti-epidemic and public health sectors across the country and army medics for having dedicated all their strength, wisdom and sincerity to the hard and active work for bringing earlier the victory in the maximum emergency anti-epidemic campaign for protecting the security of the state and the people’s wellbeing from the grave health crisis.”

Time will inform whether or not North Korea’s telling the reality. But we’re not going to carry our breath on this one.