The Eighth Political Bureau meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was convened at the office building of the Party Central Committee on May 12.

Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, was present at the meeting.

Attending the meeting were members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee and members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee.

Present there as observers were officials in the state emergency epidemic prevention sector and some commanding officers of the Ministry of National Defence.

The General Secretary presided over the meeting.

First, the Political Bureau discussed an issue of convening the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee.

Adopted at the meeting with unanimous approval was a decision of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee on convening the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Party Central Committee early in June to make intermediate summing-up of the execution of the Party and state policies in 2022 and discuss and decide on a series of important issues.

Next, the Political Bureau discussed the issue of coping with the situation of an epidemic prevention crisis facing the country.

It recognized as follows:

The most serious state emergency incident has occurred that a hole was broken in our emergency epidemic prevention front which has firmly been defended for two years and three months from February 2020.

The state emergency epidemic prevention command and relevant units deliberated over the results of strict gene arrangement analysis of the analytes collected from persons with fever of an organization in the capital on May 8 and concluded that it coincided with o mutated virus BA.2 which has recently spread worldwide rapidly.

The meeting notified the participants of the state of its spread across the country and suggested and deliberated urgent measures to hold the strategic initiative in the epidemic prevention campaign in the future.

The Political Bureau criticized the epidemic prevention sector for its carelessness, slackness, irresponsibility and incompetence as it failed to sensitively cope with the public health situation in which there is an increase in the number of those infected with all kinds of mutated viruses worldwide including the surrounding regions of our country.

It admitted that it is necessary to switch the state epidemic prevention system to the top emergency epidemic prevention system to cope with the prevailing situation.

All measures were taken to ensure that the Party, administrative and economic organs at all levels, public and state security, national defence and all other sectors and organs of the country would establish a proper work system to make the state work done smoothly in line with the top emergency epidemic prevention system set in motion.

Adopted at the meeting was a decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK on switching the state emergency epidemic prevention effort to the top emergency system to deal with the prevailing crisis.

Concluding the meeting, General Secretary Kim Jong Un laid down the principles to be thoroughly maintained in the emergency epidemic prevention work and tasks to be tackled for it.

He outlined and analyzed the current epidemic prevention crisis created in the country and noted that the maximum emergency epidemic prevention system is mainly aimed at stably containing and controlling the spread of COVID-19 that made inroads into the country and quickly curing the infected persons to eradicate the source of its spread in the shortest possible time.

Pointing out that the more dangerous enemy of us than the malicious virus are unscientific fear, lack of faith and weak will, he affirmed that we will surely overcome the current sudden situation and win victory in the emergency epidemic prevention effort as we have strong organizing ability with which the Party, government and people are single-mindedly united and high sense of political awareness and self-consciousness of all the people that have been fostered and cemented during the prolonged emergency epidemic prevention campaign.

He called on all the cities and counties of the whole country to thoroughly lock up their areas and organize work and production after closing each working unit, production unit and living unit from each other so as to flawlessly and perfectly block the transmission routes of the virulent virus.

Stressing the necessity to quickly organize a scientific and intensive examination and treatment campaign, he said that the Party and the government decided to take a measure to mobilize reserve medical supplies which have been stored up for an emergency until now.

He noted that the public health and emergency epidemic prevention sectors should strictly conduct intensive medical examination of all the people, take proactive measures for medical observation and treatment, intensify disinfection of all areas ranging from workplaces to living space and thus block and terminate the source of spread of the global epidemic.

Though the epidemic prevention situation is harsh at present, it cannot check our advance toward the overall development of socialist construction and nothing should be missed in the planned economic work, the General Secretary said, stressing that the Cabinet and other state economic guidance organs and relevant units should organize, guide and command the economic work more carefully in conformity with the situation under which the state epidemic prevention system is to be switched to the top emergency epidemic prevention system to speed up the immediate farming work and the production at key industrial sectors and establishments to the maximum and flawlessly complete in time the projects to fulfil the cherished desire of our Party for the people such as the construction of 10 000 flats in the Hwasong area and the Ryonpho Greenhouse Farm.

The Party and power organs should take thoroughgoing measures to minimize the inconveniences and sufferings the people would face under the tight blockade, stabilize their livelihood and prevent any undesirable practices, he noted.

Stressing the need to more firmly build up the outposts of the state defence and guarantee the victory of the great epidemic prevention campaign with arms, he specially emphasized that guard duty should be further strengthened on the fronts and borders, in the seas and air and the most effective measures be taken to leave no security vacuum in national defence.

The people-first politics of our Party and state that have displayed great vitality, overcoming all kinds of difficulties of history, and the strength of our people who are single-mindedly united are the most powerful guarantee to win victory in the current great epidemic prevention campaign, he said, adding that all Party organizations and power organs should prove in practice their loyalty to the Party and revolution, devotion to the people and responsibility for their duty at the present great epidemic prevention campaign to defend the personal lives and safety of the people.

He ardently appealed to all the people and officers and men of the People's Army to triumphantly conclude the great epidemic prevention campaign with firm confidence and great redoubled efforts and thus defend to the end our precious lives and future with our faith, will and unity.

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK examined and approved the written emergency instructions of the Central Military Commission of the Party and the Cabinet and made sure that they are issued.