China stands ready to provide full support and assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.  

At a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian pointed out that China and the DPRK are close neighbors with a good tradition of looking out for each other.

Noting China appreciates the DPRK's firm support in China's COVID-19 fight, Zhao said the Chinese side deeply relates to what the DPRK is experiencing in face of challenges posed by the spread of COVID-19. 

"As comrades, neighbors and friends, China stands ready to provide full support and assistance to the DPRK in its fight against the epidemic," he said.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) Thursday reported that the country confirmed its first-ever COVID-19 case in over two years.

The DPRK's state media said samples were collected from a group of patients in the capital on Sunday and a subvariant of the highly transmissible Omicron version of the coronavirus, known as BA.2, was detected.

(Cover: People wearing protective face masks walk amid concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pyongyang, DPRK, May 15, 2020. /Reuters)