After Kim Jong Un declared that North Korea had claimed a “shining victory” in its fight against COVID, Kim Jong Un’s sister revealed the nation’s dictator had himself been struck down with the virus. At a meeting of health officials and researchers in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong also vowed “deadly retaliation” against South Korea if they fail to stop propaganda balloons flying over the border, which North Korean authorities have dubiously blamed for bringing COVID into their country. “Even though he was seriously ill with a high fever, he could not lie down for a moment thinking about the people he had to take care of until the end in the face of the anti-epidemic war,” Kim Yo Jong said of her brother. In footage shared of her address on North Korean TV—reportedly the first time a speech of hers has been broadcast—members of the audience can be seen wiping away tears.