North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the military to stabilize distribution of COVID-19 medicines in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country’s first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said.
Last week brought the North Korea’s first acknowledgment of an “explosive” outbreak, with experts saying it could wreak devastation in a country with limited medical supplies and no vaccine program.
Drugs procured by the state were not reaching people in a timely and accurate way, Kim told an emergency politburo meeting on Sunday, before visiting pharmacies near the capital’s Taedong River, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
Photo: AFP / KCNA via KNS
Kim ordered immediate deployment of the “powerful forces” of the army’s medical corps to “stabilize the supply of medicines in Pyongyang City,” it added.
Although authorities had ordered distribution of national reserves of medicine, pharmacies were not well-equipped to perform their functions smoothly, the agency cited Kim as saying.
Among their shortcomings were a lack of adequate drug storage other than display cases, while clerks were not equipped with the proper sanitary clothing, and hygiene in their surroundings fell short of standards, the leader said.
He criticized the “irresponsible” work attitude, organization and execution by the Cabinet and the public health sector, it added.
South Korea would spare no effort to help the North fight its outbreak, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol told parliament yesterday, adding that it is ready to provide COVID-19 vaccines and other medical support if Pyongyang agrees.
The South Korean Ministry of Unification said it would soon propose a support plan to the North.
As of Sunday, North Korea’s tally of the fever-stricken people stood at 1,213,550, with 50 deaths, after KCNA reported 392,920 more cases of fever and eight more deaths. It did not say how many suspected infections had tested positive for COVID-19.
The North has blamed a large number of the deaths on people who were “careless in taking drugs” due to a lack of knowledge about the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 and its correct treatment.
Inter-Korean relations have deteriorated since 2019 after negotiations between the US and North Korea collapsed over disagreements involving the North’s nuclear arsenal and US-led sanctions.
Kim has previously praised China’s pandemic response and urged his officials to learn from it, which could indicate that North Korea is more willing to accept help from its major ally.
Chinese officials last week said that Beijing is ready to offer help, but they had no information about any such request being made.
Even as he called for a lockdown of cities and counties to slow the spread of COVID-19, Kim said that the country’s economic goals should be met, which likely means that huge groups could continue to gather at agricultural, industrial and construction sites.
While accelerating his missile tests in brinkmanship aimed at pressuring Washington for economic and security concessions, Kim has been grappling with domestic challenges and a pandemic-shocked economy, pushing him to perhaps the toughest moment of his decade in power.
State media in recent weeks have emphasized farming campaigns to protect crops amid a drought during rice-planting season, a worrisome development in a country with chronic food shortages.
Additional reporting by AP
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