Kim Berates North Korean Officials for ‘Crucial’ Virus Lapse

Kim Berates North Korean Officials for ‘Crucial’ Virus Lapse
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, speaks during a Workers' Party meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Thursday, June 17, 2021.Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP
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SEOUL, South Korea—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berated top officials for failures in coronavirus prevention that caused a “great crisis,” using strong language that raised the specter of a mass outbreak in a country that would be scarcely able to handle it.

The state media report Wednesday did not specify what “crucial” lapse had prompted Kim to call the Politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, but experts said North Korea could be wrestling with a significant setback in its pandemic fight.