North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at a meeting of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, Thursday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Friday. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for "maximum alert" against the coronavirus as he presided over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, warning that premature easing of anti-virus measures will lead to "unimaginable and irretrievable crisis," state media reported Friday.

It was the second time in three months that the North has convened a politburo meeting to discuss the coronavirus pandemic. That suggests the North's COVID-19 situation could be serious, though Pyongyang claims there has not been a single case.

The meeting held Thursday made no mention of inter-Korean relations.

"He stressed the need to maintain maximum alert without a slight self-complacence or relaxation on the anti-epidemic front, and rearrange and practice stricter anti-epidemic effort," the Korean Central News Agency said.