SEOUL: Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea鈥檚 military to stabilize distribution of COVID-19 medicines in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country鈥檚 first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said.
Last week brought the North鈥檚 first acknowledgment of an 鈥渆xplosive鈥� outbreak, with experts warning 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鈥檚 Taedong River, state news agency KCNA said.
Kim ordered immediate deployment of the 鈥減owerful forces鈥� of the army鈥檚 medical corps to 鈥渟tabilize the supply of medicines in Pyongyang City,鈥� it added.
Although authorities had ordered distribution of national reserves of medicine, pharmacies were not well-equipped to perform their functions smoothly, Kim added, the agency said.
Among their shortcomings were a lack of adequate drug storage other than showcases, while salespeople were not equipped with the proper sanitary clothing and hygiene in their surroundings fell short of standards, the leader said.
He criticized the 鈥渋rresponsible鈥� work attitude, organization and execution by the cabinet and the public health sector, it added.
Neighbouring South Korea will spare no effort to help the North fight its outbreak, President Yoon Suk-yeol told parliament on Monday, saying it was ready to provide COVID-19 vaccines and other medical support if Pyongyang agrees.
South Korea鈥檚 unification ministry has offered to hold working-level talks with North Korea on offering support for its neighbor, which is battling its first confirmed outbreak of COVID-19, the ministry said on Monday.
The ministry, charged with maintaining relations between the two nations, said it had expressed willingness to provide medicines, from vaccines to test kits, as well as technical co-operation, based on the South鈥檚 experience with quarantine.

North Korea鈥檚 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.
The North has blamed a large number of the deaths on people who were 鈥渃areless in taking drugs鈥� because of a lack of knowledge about the omicron variant of coronavirus and its correct treatment.