North Korea's state media called for a transition to quarantine adopted by advanced nations that takes into account public well-being, moving away from complete lockdowns.

The ruling Workers' Party mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun said on Monday that there must be reforms to the current system to guarantee perfection of emergency quarantine.

This is the first time the North Korean media assessed the regime's COVID-19 response to be control-centered, pledging to drive away from that. Without elaboration, the paper called for science and technology based measures, and to supplement and reinforce existing systems.

While the paper mentioned actively adopting advanced technology, it remains to be seen whether the regime will begin accepting global supplies of vaccines and treatment.

South Korea's unification ministry, in response, said Seoul plans to keep a close eye on the possibility of the North easing lockdowns.