A North Korean official defended the country’s COVID-19 controls on Tuesday against claims that they are harming its citizens’ human rights, insisting that its stringent measures are reflective of “people-first politics.”

The remarks come after Tomás Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur for North Korean human rights, warned in a report to the U.N. General Assembly that the country’s “draconian” efforts to prevent COVID-19 from entering the country have contributed to its worst-ever isolation and food shortages, among other problems.