North Korea's official newspaper on Thursday ran detailed reports about recent spikes in coronavirus infections in South Korea.

In an article with a headline mentioning South Korea's coronavirus conditions, a rarity, the Rodong Sinmun provided information on the latest COVID-19 confirmed cases in the South.

"Reports show that a huge stir is being caused as the number of new coronavirus infections in South Korea has spiked," the paper said, mentioning the number of confirmed cases here for Tuesday.

"The fourth wave of infections which began in late April, appears to be gaining traction," the paper said. "Some are raising worries that the scale of the wave could get bigger due to the spread of the more infectious delta variant."

South Korea added 1,212 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, the highest number since Dec. 25. A day later, the number rose to 1,275, the highest daily infections since the pandemic hit the country early last year.

North Korea's state media outlets have reported on coronavirus conditions in major countries but mostly briefly on South Korea. The unification ministry in Seoul said that it was the first time that the Rodong Sinmun carried an article with a headline mentioning South Korea since June 28 last year.

North Korea has claimed to be coronavirus-free but has enforced strict antivirus measures, including tight border controls since the beginning of the outbreak in China. (Yonhap)