As North Korea's COVID-19 infection rate moves past the million mark with a death toll of 56, its leader Kim Jong-un has deployed the country's "powerful forces to all pharmacies in Pyongyang City and began to supply medicines."
What Happened: The isolated country, with no vaccination campaign and limited testing capabilities, blamed and criticized healthcare officials for what it dubs a botched response to epidemic prevention.
After insisting that the country was untouched by the pandemic for more than two years, the supreme leader has said the nation is in "great turmoil" due to COVID-19.
State-owned news agency KCNA said Kim had issued an order for "immediately stabilizing the supply of medicines in Pyongyang City by involving the powerful forces of the military medical field of the People's Army."
Kim – known for ordering executions of anyone he suspects of working against him – also warned his 1.2 million-man forces of any "slightest imperfection" in the "acute anti-epidemic war."
Why It Matters: Kim has reportedly fallen back on a familiar wellspring of support — the deployment of powerful forces in the country to contain the virus. But that also gives him power to arrest anyone perceived to have broken the rules and assert the regime's power as never before.
Despite the grueling nationwide lockdown, North Korea test-launched three short-range ballistic missiles this week from its east coast, as Kim seeks to expand its military arsenal and harden stance against the United States
Read Next: Kim Jong-Un Slams Officials For 'Immaturity,' 'Slackness' In Fighting North Korea's COVID-19 Crisis
Photo courtesy Janne Wittoeck on Flickr
