North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly presided over a political bureau meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Saturday to discuss responses to the novel coronavirus.
 
The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday that the meeting of the Political Bureau of the party's Central Committee was held the previous day to discuss national antivirus measures, budget issues and other organization matters.
 
The meeting reportedly discussed changes in some national policies and tasks, citing that the worldwide spread of the virus has created obstacles to the country's effort in its economic construction.
 
The KCNA said that in the meeting, a joint resolution was adopted to take "more thorough state measures for protecting the life and safety of North Koreans from the great worldwide epidemic disease."
 
The report also said that the North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo-jong, was elected as an alternate member of the Political Bureau.
 
The politburo meeting held on Saturday suggests that a key session of the country's rubber-stamp legislature Supreme People's Assembly, which was supposed to take place on Friday, has been postponed for unclear reasons.