Pyongyang, August 11 (KCNA) -- Ri Yong Gil, minister of National Defence of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea who is deputy commander of the emergency anti-epidemic division of the Ministry of National Defence, made a speech at the National Meeting of Reviewing the Emergency Anti-epidemic Work.

He said that the DPRK has achieved successes in checking the spread of malignant virus in a short period and stabilizing the anti-epidemic situation, adding that this is entirely thanks to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un who has led in the van the anti-epidemic campaign unprecedented in history and his great exploits will be go down for all ages along with the history of the country.

He went on:

Even commanding officers of the Korean People's Army felt extremely uneasy about the unexpected crisis when they heard a report that the 8th Meeting of the Political Bureau of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was immediately convened on May 12 and the most serious emergency case of the state - a crack was made on our emergency epidemic prevention front which had been firmly defended for two years and three months from February, 2020 - occurred.

At that time the respected General Secretary Kim Jong Un indicated anti-epidemic guidelines and struggle stratagems for promptly curbing and controlling the epidemic spread and holding the sure initiative in the anti-epidemic campaign since the outbreak of the first COVID-19 fever case and dispatched KPA service personnel to the forefront of the all-out anti-epidemic campaign.

900 days have passed since the first outbreak of COVID-19 in the world but there has been no such precedent in any other countries hit by the pandemic disease and even those boasting of their developed medical science as curbing the contagious disease rapidly and simultaneously spreading in all areas and restoring the stable anti-epidemic situation within a short period of some 80 days.

The speaker expressed his will to fully discharge his responsibility in correctly implementing the anti-epidemic measures taken by the Party and the state, bearing in mind that he is a defender of the forefront of the emergency anti-epidemic campaign.

He expressed his will to fully awaken all the service personnel to the fact that the hard-won precious successes gained in the anti-epidemic work would be spoiled a moment if they slack even a moment in the favorable anti-epidemic situation so that they would fully display the traits of unconditional obedience and devoted implementation in the struggle for thoroughly checking the inroads of the malignant virus.

He expressed his will to make all efforts in order to firmly consolidate the forefront of defending the country, guarantee the victory of the anti-epidemic campaign with arms, fulfill our guard duty in the areas near the front, border, coasts, the sea and air, in particular, and to ensure that there would be neither security gap in national defence nor defect in the anti-epidemic work.