N.Korea's Kim orders military to stabilise supply of COVID drugs

FILE PHOTO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party to inspect the country's antivirus efforts against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 14, 2022. KCNA via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) -Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea's military to stabilise distribution of COVID-19 medicine in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle against the country's first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said.

Last week brought the North's first acknowledgment of an "explosive" outbreak, with experts warning it could devastate a country with limited medical supplies and no vaccine programme.