Kim fell ‘seriously ill’ with fever during pandemic

Kim Jong-un’s sister told a weeping crowd that her brother fell ‘‘seriously ill’’ with fever during the Covid-19 pandemic, ahead of the North Korean leader’s announcement that the country had eradicated the virus. Kim Jong-un appeared to have recovered from a bout of coronavirus to oversee North Korea’s victory over the pandemic, with state media reporting that he has ordered the lifting of emergency measures introduced in May to halt the spread of the virus. Kim declared the health crisis over during a meeting of senior government officials on Thursday, the Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The North Korean leader said that the country had ‘‘solemnly declared victory in the maximum emergency anti-epidemic campaign for exterminating the novel coronavirus that had made inroads into our territory’’.