The isolated East Asian country has only stated how many people have fevers daily, and has only identified a few of the cases as COVID-19 since admitting to an outbreak of the omicron variant.
North Korea has confirmed 15 more deaths and high numbers of fevers as it mobilizes more than a million health and other workers to try to suppress the country's first COVID-19 outbreak.
While the scale of the outbreak isn't known, it could have serious consequences because the country has a poor health care system and its 26 million people are believed to be mostly unvaccinated.
North Korea has test-fired a new type of tactical guided weapon designed to boost its nuclear fighting capability, state media reported Sunday, days after it passed its biggest state anniversary.
North Korea is marking a key state anniversary Friday with calls for stronger loyalty to Kim Jong Un, but there was no word on an expected military parade amid heightened international tension.
The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the South Korean defense minister a "scum-like guy" for talking about preemptive strikes on the North.
The launch comes six days after North Korea conducted its first intercontinental ballistic missile test since 2017 in an apparent attempt to pressure on the Biden administration amid stalled talks.
North Korea's Kim Jong Un vows to develop more powerful means of, days after the country's first intercontinental ballistic missile launch in more than four years
Experts say the North's fast pace in testing activity shows its dual goal of advancing its weaponry and applying pressure on Washington over a deepening freeze in nuclear negotiations.
North Korea is reportedly working up to testing of a longer-range intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the whole of the continental U.S.
The politically inexperienced Yoon Suk Yeol's pledge to get tough on North Korea could mark a sharp break with the outgoing liberal administration's policies.
The test-launch was confirmed Monday and is North Korea's most significant weapon launch in years. South Korean and Japanese officials condemned the launch.
Monday's test was North Korea's fourth launch in under two weeks. By contrast, it took the North 10 months to conduct that many ballistic missile tests last year.
The tests of the fast and maneuverable class of weapons that purport to be able to evade missile defense systems, has garnered the attention of the White House, which responded with new sanctions.
The U.S. is also proposing U.N. sanctions in response to North Korea's six ballistic missile launches since September, each of which it says "were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions."
The potential upgrade at a U.S. air defense base, within range of missiles in North Korea and China, has residents concerned as Seoul walks a delicate balancing act between the rival powers.
In a speech at a key political conference, Kim Jong Un vowed to further bolster his military capability, maintain draconian anti-virus measures and push hard to improve the economy.
As North Korea's dictator marks a milestone on Friday, he might be facing his toughest moment yet, as crushing sanctions, the pandemic and growing economic trouble converge
The North Korean leader didn't say exactly what the incident was, nor did he contradict the country's official line, which is that it has not had a single COVID-19 infection so far.
Earlier this week, the U.S. and other leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations issued a statement calling for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and return to talks.