South Korea Is Happy To Help North Korea, Which Is Dizzy In The Face Of COVID-19 Spike

Ilustrasi Metro, Subway, Pyongyang (Photo by Social Income on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - North Korea is struggling with a spike in COVID-19 after the country confirmed its first death. South Korea would be happy if North Korea accepted their help.

South Korea's newly inaugurated President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Monday May 16 that they would not waste efforts to help North Korea. South Korea will be open to requests for assistance from North Korea, which is battling the COVID-19 outbreak.

"If North Korea responds (our support), we will not waste medicines including the COVID-19 vaccine, medical equipment and health personnel," Yoon said in a speech at the plenary session of the National Assembly.

Separately in his speech, Yoon will also discuss with US President Joe Biden ways to strengthen cooperation in global supply chains through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Biden is scheduled to visit the country this week.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the military to stabilize distribution of COVID-19 medicines in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle against the country's first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said.

North Korea announced 21 deaths from the COVID-19 fever on Saturday 14 May. And more than half a million people are thought to have contracted the virus.

This official announcement was made just two days after confirming the first COVID-19 death case.

Despite activating a "maximum emergency quarantine system" to slow the spread of the disease through the unvaccinated population, North Korea is now reporting tens of thousands of new cases every day.

On Friday alone, more than 174,440 people had a fever. But 81,430 have fully recovered and 21 died in the country, the official Korea Central News Agency reported as quoted by Channel News Asia.

North Korea confirmed on Thursday that a highly contagious variant of the Omicron had been detected in the capital Pyongyang, with leader Kim Jong Un ordering a nationwide lockdown.

Although the military has been deployed, but there is a big problem. Pharmacy centers in the country are believed to be stuttering in this situation.

Their drawback is the lack of adequate drug storage other than the storefront. While the salespeople are not equipped with proper sanitary clothes and the cleanliness around them is not up to standard.