SEOUL
\nLeader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea\u2019s military to stabilise distribution of COVID-19 medicine in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country\u2019s first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said.
\nLast week brought the North\u2019s first acknowledgement of an \u201cexplosive\u201d outbreak, with experts warning it could devastate a country with limited medical supplies and no vaccine programme.
\nDrugs procured by the state were not reaching people quickly or accurately, Kim told an emergency politburo meeting on Sunday, before visiting pharmacies near the capital\u2019s Taedong River, state news agency KCNA said.
\nKim ordered immediate deployment of the \u201cpowerful forces\u201d of the army\u2019s medical corps to \u201cstabilise the supply of medicines in Pyongyang City,\u201d it added.
\nAlthough authorities had ordered distribution of national reserves of medicine, pharmacies were not well-equipped to perform their functions smoothly, Kim added, the agency said.
\nAmong their shortcomings were a lack of adequate drug storage, salespeople unequipped with the proper sanitary clothing and hygiene in their surroundings falling short of standards, Kim said.
\nHe criticised the \u201cirresponsible\u201d work attitude, organisation and execution by the cabinet and the public health sector, it added.
\nSeoul\u2019s unification ministry, responsible for cross-border relations, said that it had proposed working-level talks to provide medical supplies, including vaccines, masks and test kits, as well as technical cooperation, but that the North had not received its message.
\nThe offer came shortly after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said he would spare no effort to help the North fight its outbreak, saying it was ready to provide COVID-19 vaccines and other medical support.
\nYoon said he would send humanitarian aid without political considerations, while expressing concerns over the North\u2019s recent missile launches and signs of preparations for what would be its first nuclear test since 2017.
\n\u201cIf North Korea responds, I would not save any necessary support for medicines including COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and health personnel,\u201d he said in a speech to parliament.
\nNorth Korea\u2019s tally of the fever-stricken stood at 1,213,550, with 50 deaths by Sunday, 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.
\nThe North has blamed a large number of the deaths on people who were \u201ccareless in taking drugs\u201d because of a lack of knowledge about the Omicron variant of coronavirus and its correct treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SEOUL Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea\u2019s military to stabilise distribution of COVID-19 medicine in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country\u2019s first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said. Last week brought the North\u2019s first acknowledgement of an \u201cexplosive\u201d outbreak, with experts warning it could devastate a country with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[191,6704,3942],"class_list":{"0":"post-260795","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-covid-19","9":"tag-kim-jong","10":"tag-north-korea"},"yoast_head":"\n