On May 8, a most serious state emergency incident occurred with a breakthrough created on the epidemic prevention walls in the country, which had firmly been defended for two years and three months from February 2020.

To cope with the prevailing situation, the eighth meeting of the Political Bureau of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea was held on May 12.

The meeting adopted a decision of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK on switching the state emergency epidemic prevention effort to the top-level emergency system, and took a series of measures to this end.

At the meeting General Secretary Kim Jong Un laid down the principles to be thoroughly maintained in the emergency anti-epidemic work and tasks to be tackled for it. Stressing the necessity to quickly organize a scientific and intensive examination and treatment campaign, he took a measure for mobilizing reserve medical supplies which had been stored up by the Party and the government for an emergency until now.

That day he visited the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters to learn about the nationwide spread of COVID-19. It is the most important challenge and supreme task facing our Party to reverse the present public health crisis at an early date, restore stability in epidemic prevention and protect the health and wellbeing of our people, he said, clarifying the determination, will and strategy and tactics of the Party Central Committee to victoriously lead the anti-epidemic war.

On May 14, two days later, he presided over a consultative meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea at the office building of the Party Central Committee. At the meeting he took political and practical measures to rapidly contain and control the nationwide spread of the disease so as to firmly hold the strategic initiative.

The next day he convened again a consultative meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Referring to the supply of medicines throughout the country, he pointed out a series of deviations revealed in the overall anti-epidemic campaign and took practical measures for correcting them immediately. And he issued a special order of the WPK Central Military Commission on immediately stabilizing the supply of medicines in Pyongyang Municipality by committing the powerful forces of the military medical field of the People’s Army.

Just after winding up the meeting, he visited pharmacies in Pyongyang to acquaint himself with the supply of medicines. True to his high intention, members and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee visited scores of pharmacies in the city to learn about their situation.

Dropping in at the pharmacies in Taedonggang District, Kim Jong Un acquainted himself in detail with what kind of medicines had been supplied to them after the top-level emergency epidemic prevention system was put into operation, whether medicines had been kept as required by regulations, whether the pharmacies had been turned into a 24-hour service system, whether they held consultations with patients, what kinds of antipyretics and antibiotics they have and what kinds of medicines the people demanded most now and how much they cost. And he took strong measures for correcting the weak points in the medicine supply system and transporting medicines.

While presiding over a meeting of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee on May 17, he made an important conclusion in regard to the implementation of the Party and state anti-epidemic policy at present.

The several meetings of the Political Bureau of the Party Central Committee and measures taken timely within a week showed a genuine appearance of the Party giving utmost precedence to the people’s safety and happiness.