North Korea aims to expand government expenditure on pandemic preparedness by one-third this year to meet leader Kim Jong Un’s desire for a more “modern and people-oriented” viral response, according to state media on Tuesday.
The budget proposals were approved by Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday and Monday, just weeks after the North tentatively resumed train freight traffic with China after two years of severe border bans and economic deterioration.
During a political conference in December, Kim hinted at broader changes to the country’s pandemic response, calling for a shift toward advanced anti-virus measures based on a “scientific foundation.”
According to the Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly approved plans to expand anti-virus spending by 33.3 percent over last year. The spending plans were not described in monetary terms in the report.
Kim Tok Hun, premier of North Korea’s Cabinet, a key institution in charge of economic policies, stated that the North’s pandemic response is the top priority in state affairs, but that the measures will be “put on a scientific basis to ensure the security of the country and the people,” according to KCNA.
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