(LEAD) N. Korea adopts law on protection of 'state secret'

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SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has adopted a new law aimed at safeguarding state secrets at a parliamentary meeting, its state media said Friday, amid apparent efforts to tighten internal discipline.

The plenary meeting of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), held in Pyongyang the previous day, also adopted other laws on the country's management of railways and the education of prodigies, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The objective of the law on the "protection of state secret" is to contribute to guaranteeing national safety and the development of the "socialist construction" by establishing system and order, the KCNA said. It did not provide details on what the "state secret" it was referring to or if it was only one secret or multiple ones. 　

Observers said the law appears aimed at tightening state control and discipline amid protracted economic challenges.

During the meeting, the North also adopted laws on loans and national symbols, and reviewed the execution of a law on improving living conditions for discharged officers.

The meeting "stressed the need for the socialist law-observance guidance committees at all levels to conduct effective education in law observance through the newly-adopted laws," the KCNA said in the English-language statement.

South Korea's unification ministry regards the move as reflecting the Kim Jong-un regime's efforts to "strengthen its overall social order."

The SPA is the highest organ of power under the North's constitution, although it rubber-stamps decisions by the ruling party.

Choe Ryong-hae, president of the Presidium of the SPA, presided over the meeting.

Meanwhile, the North's state-controlled media again urged full vigilance against the coronavirus pandemic.

The Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper, stressed the need to place the top priority on making all-out efforts against COVID-19, pointing out that the virus continues to affect millions of people across the world.

"Officials should not regard this as merely something happening outside of their territory," the paper said, urging them to take thorough measures to disinfect their areas to prevent the spread of influenza and "malignant infectious diseases."

The North claimed victory against the coronavirus in August last year, just months after it reported its first case in May.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization announced it has decided to continue to designate the COVID-19 crisis as a global health emergency.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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