Kim Jong Un was seen not wearing a mask at a state funeral amid North Korea's severe Covid outbreak

• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen without a mask at a state funeral on Sunday.
• North Korea has urged its citizens to wear masks amid a severe Omicron outbreak, $4.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen without a mask at a state funeral on Sunday, days after he blasted officials for $4 in handling the country's Covid outbreak.

In pictures and video footage released by the country's state news agency, Kim was spotted maskless while carrying the coffin of top military official Hyon Chol Hae.

According $4, the Korean People's Army marshal was reportedly Kim's mentor, who had helped prepare him to become the country's next leader before his father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, died in 2011.

Kim was the only maskless pallbearer seen at the funeral.

North Korea has urged its citizens to wear masks and, in some cases, has recommended wearing two, $4.

Ever since the hermit nation $4 Covid case on May 12, the country has been ravaged by a fast-spreading Omicron outbreak. However, North Korean state media has maintained the "much-disputed claim" that its Covid wave is subsiding, per $4.

As of Monday, the total number of "fevered persons" in North Korea has topped 2.9 million, and 68 people have died from it, according to the $4. According to $4, the country has yet to refer to this "fever" outbreak as COVID-19, as poor testing capabilities have hindered its ability to diagnose cases.

According to $4, experts said it is also likely that the $4 is underreporting its actual death toll to protect Kim's political reputation.