North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un greets China for success in COVID-19 battle, calls South Korean military drills ‘grave provocation’

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has greeted China for its success in controlling the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, state media reported on Friday. The North Korean leader, however, lashed out at South Korea over its military drills, calling them ”grave provocation”.

According to the state media, Kim Jong-Un sent a personal message to Chinese President Xi Jinping to congratulate him on that country`s success in controlling the coronavirus.

Kim sent a verbal message to the Chinese President about the coronavirus, Korean Central News Agency said.

“Kim Jong Un in his message extended his warm greetings to Xi Jinping and congratulated him, highly appreciating that he is seizing a chance of victory in the war against the unprecedented epidemic,” said KCNA.

Kim wished Xi good health and the KCNA report said the relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing was “firmly consolidated.

A North Korean military representative said on Friday that recent South Korean military drills were a grave provocation that demanded a reaction, according to a statement carried by KCNA.

“The recent drill served as an opportunity which awakened us once again to the obvious fact that the enemies remain enemies all the time,” the statement said.

North Korea cited a military exercise by the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Air Combat Command on Wednesday and said the drills violated inter-Korean agreements aimed at reducing military tensions.

“Everything is now going back to the starting point before the north-south summit meeting in 2018,” the statement said.

On Sunday, South Korea said North Korean troops fired multiple shots toward a South Korean guard post at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two countries.

South Korean troops responded by firing warning shots, but no casualties were reported. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the shots fired by North Korea were likely “accidental”.

North Korea has said it has no cases of the coronavirus but previously reinforced border checks and anti-epidemic measures.