The Eighth Politbureau meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of Workers' Party of Korea was convened in the headquarters building of the Party Central Committee on May 12.

The respected Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, was present at the meeting.

The meeting was attended by members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK, and members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee.

Present there as observers were officials in the state emergency anti-epidemic field and some leading personnel of the Ministry of National Defence.

Kim Jong Un presided over the meeting.

The Political Bureau, first, discussed an issue on calling a plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee.

There was adopted at the meeting with a unanimous approval the decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK on calling the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Party Central Committee early in June so as to make an intermediate review of the implementation of the Party and state policies for 2022 and discuss and decide some important issues.

Then, the Political Bureau discussed an issue to cope with the situation of anti-epidemic crisis created in the country.

The Political Bureau recognized as follows:

There occurred the greatest state emergency incident that made a hole in our emergency anti-epidemic front we have firmly defended for two years and three months since February 2020.

The State Emergency Anti-Epidemic Headquarters and relevant units strictly examined the result of analysis of gene arrangement over the samples collected from those in a fever at an organization in the capital city on May 8 and concluded that they coincided with the omicron variant "BA.2" which has been rapidly spreading worldwide recently.

The situation of nationwide spread was informed and emergency measures to take the strategic initiative in the future anti-epidemic campaign were brought up for discussion.

The Political Bureau recognized that it is necessary to go over from the state anti-epidemic system to the greatest emergency anti-epidemic system in coping with the present prevailing situation.

Measures were taken to establish proper work system in all the institutions and fields of the country including different levels of Party, administrative and economic organs and the fields of public security, state security and national defence according to the operation of the greatest emergency anti-epidemic system so that the state affairs could be done smoothly.

The meeting adopted a decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK on transferring the state anti-epidemic work into the greatest emergency anti-epidemic system in the prevailing situation of anti-epidemic crisis.

Concluding the meeting, Kim Jong Un presented principles and tasks to be thoroughly maintained in the emergency anti-epidemic work.

He outlined and analyzed the situation of anti-epidemic crisis created in our country at present and said the main purpose of the current greatest emergency anti-epidemic system is to restrain and control in a stable way the spread of the COVID-19 that came into our precincts and cure those infected with it quickly so as to remove the source of spread at the shortest time.

Kim Jong Un said more dangerous enemy than the malignant virus for us now is an unscientific fear, lack of faith and weak will, and continued:

We will surely overcome the sudden happening and win in the emergency anti-epidemic work as we have a strong organizing ability of the Party, the government and the people united as one and the high political consciousness and high self-consciousness of the people developed and consolidated in the course of long emergency anti-epidemic struggle.

All the cities and counties across the country should thoroughly block themselves and tightly close every unit for work, production and life before organizing the work and production so as to perfectly cut off the space for spread of the malignant virus.

Stressing the need to urgently organize and launch scientific and intensive examination and treatment, Kim Jong Un said the Party and the government decided to operate measures for mobilizing the reserve medical supplies which had been saved for such emergency as now.

He pointed out that the public health and emergency anti-epidemic sectors should strictly make an intensive examination of all the inhabitants, give medical watch to them, take active measures for treatment and intensify disinfection in the details of affairs, work and life so as to intercept and suppress the source of spread of the malignant disease.

He said: No matter severe the present anti-epidemic situation may be, nothing can check our advance toward the overall development of socialist construction and we can never miss anything in the planned economic work. Now that the state anti-epidemic system has been transferred into the greatest emergency anti-epidemic system, the Cabinet and other state economic guidance organs and relevant units should organize, guide and command the economic work more perfectly to speed up the immediate farming and production at major industrial sectors and factories and enterprises to the utmost and perfectly complete the long-cherished undertakings of the Party for the people like the construction of 10,000 flats in the Hwasong area and the construction of the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm within the fixed date.

The Party and government organs should take thoroughgoing measures to minimize the inconveniences and mental sufferings of the people in the intensified blockade and stabilize their living lest there should be any undesirable practices.

Underlining the need to more firmly consolidate the outpost line of national defence, Kim Jong Un specially emphasized that guard duty should be further strengthened on the front, borders and sea and in the air and full preparations made lest there should be any vacuum of security in the national defence.

He said: The people-first politics of our Party and state and the single-minded unity of the people that have overcome all difficulties of history and displayed great vitality are the most powerful guarantee making it possible to win in the current anti-epidemic campaign. All the Party organizations and government organs should prove in practice their loyalty to the Party and the revolution, devotion to the people and responsibility for their duty in the present anti-epidemic campaign for defending the lives and security of the people.

Kim Jong Un ardently called upon the entire people and service personnel of the People's Army to victoriously conclude the anti-epidemic campaign with firmer conviction and greater strength and thus defend our precious lives, life and future to the end with our faith, our will and our unity.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK deliberated, approved and issued the emergency directives of the Central Military Commission of the Party and the Cabinet.