Mick Hartley

What are the actual details of the actions taken by Kim Jong-un, in line with his angry rant at the enlarged meeting of the 2nd Political Bureau of the historic 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea? Well, we don't know. People have been sacked, but as to who they might be…not a clue. The situation in North Korea is certainly serious, partly from the sanctions, but mainly from the leadership's paranoid reaction to the coronavirus, shutting all borders and forcing the country to retreat into a shell.

A BBC report:

In remarks reported by state news outlet KCNA, Mr Kim accused senior officials of negligence at a specially convened meeting of party leaders.

As a result, they "caused a grave incident that has caused a great risk to people and the nation's safety", according to his comments in Korean.

The report then added that several members of the party had been recalled – including one member from the powerful Standing Committee – which is composed of five members, including Mr Kim himself.

However, the report did not give any further details on the incident or identify the officials.

Kim Jong-un's comment may indicate a possible breach of the coronavirus quarantine system or that a new smuggling trade route at the North Korean-China border has been discovered.

The fact that the expanded Politburo meeting was held 11 days after the plenary session suggests that the Covid situation is a serious challenge.

The failure to disclose which of the five Politburo members were fired could be to minimise political divisions.

But Mr Kim's comment nevertheless indicates that North Korea sees the coronavirus situation as a critical matter that affects the nation's survival.

Well, I did suggest that the coronavirus could spell the end of the Kim dynasty. It'd be like HG Wells' The War of the Worlds: the regime survived all manner of military threats, and universal hostility, but was finally brought down by a humble virus.