North Korea struggling to provide medicine amid COVID outbreak: Kim Jong Un | NK News
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September 16, 2026Sep 16, 2026

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North Korea struggling to provide medicine amid COVID outbreak: Kim Jong Un

State media reports 50 dead and over 1.2 million cases since the start of the outbreak this month

Updated on May 16 at 10:00 a.m. KST with details on COVID-19 case numbers nationwide

Pharmacies in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang are ill-equipped to provide medicine amid a severe COVID-19 outbreak, leader Kim Jong Un reportedly said at a “consultative” politburo meeting Sunday, according to state media.

Due to problems providing medicine to those experiencing symptoms, Kim reportedly ordered the military to release medicine and “stabilize” Pyongyang’s drug supply by “involving the powerful forces of the military medical field of the People’s Army.”

He also directly criticized the director of the Central Public Prosecutors Office for