Kim Jong-un wears a face mask as he presides over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party regarding the North's first known case of COVID-19 in Pyongyang, May 12, in this screen grab from North Korea's Korean Central TV. Yonhap

North Korea reported 21 additional COVID-19 deaths for Friday, with more than 174,400 people nationwide suffering from a "fever," as its leader Kim Jong-un stated that his country is faced with "great turmoil due to the spread of the virus.

Pyongyang's state media released the updated tally, after Kim presided over an early-morning politburo meeting.