North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presided over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, discussing anti-coronavirus measures, budget issues and organizational matters, according to the media report on Sunday.

On Saturday, the politburo meeting held to suggests that a key session of the country’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), which was supposed to take place on Friday, has been postponed for unclear reasons because a politburo meeting usually takes place on the eve of an SPA session, the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency reported.

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At a meeting on Saturday, the political bureau of the central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea adopted a resolution to take “more thorough state measures” to protect people’s lives and safety against the pandemic, Korean Central News Agency said in a report.

North Korea is among just a few countries in the world that claim to have no coronavirus infections, but many outside observers suspect that Pyongyang might be hushing up an outbreak.

Pyongyang has taken relatively drastic anti-virus measures by closing its borders with China, where the coronavirus originated in late December.

Neighbouring South Korea reported 32 new infections by the end of Saturday, taking its tally to 10,512, with three more deaths for a total of 214, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

In a separate report on Sunday, KCNA said Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction at a drill of North Korea’s pursuit assault aircraft that he oversaw, but suggested important tasks to “further enhance combat efficiency”.

The coronavirus epidemic — which has infected more than 1.7 million worldwide — had become “a great disaster threatening the whole mankind, regardless of borders and continents”, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

According to the experts, North Korea is particularly vulnerable to the virus because of its weak healthcare system, and defectors have accused Pyongyang of covering up an outbreak.

The World Health Organization said 709 people — 11 foreigners and 698 nationals — have been tested for the virus as of April 2, while more than 24,800 people have been released from quarantine.

Nearly every other country has reported coronavirus cases. Aside from China, South Korea endured one of the worst early outbreaks of the virus.

(With inputs from agency)