{"id":33274,"date":"2026-05-28T12:26:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:26:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/33274\/"},"modified":"2026-05-28T12:26:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T12:26:07","slug":"north-korea-boosts-chinese-medical-equipment-imports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/33274\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korea boosts Chinese medical equipment imports"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"North<\/a>Kim Jong Un conducting an on-the-spot inspection of the Myohyang Medical Applicances Factory in 2019. (KCNA) <\/p>\n

North Korea is importing a growing volume of Chinese<\/a> medical<\/a> equipment as authorities push to modernize healthcare facilities nationwide, with demand for pharmaceutical packaging machinery also rising alongside a parallel drive to expand domestic drug production.<\/p>\n

A source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK that hospitals<\/a> and clinics across the province have been seeking Chinese medical equipment in increasing numbers, with shipments arriving steadily through the Dandong-Sinuiju trade<\/a> corridor. \u201cLarge hospitals have demand for specialized equipment such as ultrasound diagnostic machines, X-ray devices<\/a>, and electrocardiograph recorders,\u201d the source said. \u201cSmaller clinics have steady demand for simpler devices like blood pressure<\/a> monitors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of the procurement, however, appears driven less by practical need than by a desire to make facilities look well-equipped. Sources note that a number of the imported devices are of limited use given the actual operating conditions and maintenance capacity of North Korean medical facilities.<\/p>\n

Packaging upgrade draws positive response<\/p>\n

At the same time, North Korean authorities have been encouraging hospitals to manufacture their own traditional Korean medicines for use as on-hand remedies, in addition to pharmaceutical factories<\/a> already doing so. This has generated rising demand for drug packaging equipment at the hospital level, and imports<\/a> of such machinery have followed.<\/p>\n

As a result, some hospitals have moved away from manual packaging methods using paper bags, glass bottles, and plastic wrap, and have begun using packaging machines to produce liquid extracts, pills, and powders in more standardized form. The change has drawn a positive response from North Korean people. \u201cThe medicine<\/a> itself hasn\u2019t changed much from before, but people\u2019s reactions are different now that the packaging looks better,\u201d the source said. \u201cThat is clearly having some effect on the growing interest in and demand for medicine packaging machines.\u201d<\/p>\n

The broader driver<\/a> behind rising imports of medical equipment and pharmaceutical machinery is the government\u2019s healthcare modernization policy. Under leader Kim Jong Un\u2019s \u201cLocal Development 20\u00d710 Policy,\u201d a program launched in 2024 that aims to build modern industrial<\/a> and service facilities in 20 counties per year over 10 years, authorities have expanded the initiative\u2019s scope to include three categories of priority construction<\/a>: grain<\/a> management facilities, general service centers, and county and city hospitals. The inclusion of hospitals reflects recognition of the deteriorated state of healthcare infrastructure outside major cities.<\/p>\n

A March 2026 report<\/a> by the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy, a South Korean<\/a> state-affiliated research body, found that North Korea\u2019s imports from China<\/a> reached $2.294 billion in 2025, up 25.2% from the previous year and recovering to 95.8% of pre-COVID levels. Among the 30 product categories showing the largest import growth, the report identified medical diagnostic equipment, oxygen respirators, and massage devices. The report attributed the rise in medical equipment imports in part to the expanded scope of the Local Development 20\u00d710 Policy, which has driven simultaneous demand for machinery, construction materials<\/a>, and medical devices.<\/p>\n

With healthcare modernization and domestic drug production expansion both continuing as policy priorities, imports of related equipment are expected to keep growing.<\/p>\n

Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n

Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n

\n Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information<\/a> through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media<\/a>, satellite<\/a> imagery, or defector<\/a> accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.\n <\/p>\n

\n Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea \u2014 discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report on developments other outlets cannot access: market<\/a> trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.\n <\/p>\n

\n Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge<\/a> between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what\u2019s happening inside one of the world\u2019s most closed societies.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kim Jong Un conducting an on-the-spot inspection of the Myohyang Medical Applicances Factory in 2019. (KCNA) North Korea…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33275,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[134,2596,31,8044,21206,34,7140,9260,9213,2594],"class_list":["post-33274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-north-korea","tag-china","tag-imports","tag-korea","tag-medicine","tag-modernization","tag-north-korea","tag-public-health","tag-regional-development","tag-sinuiju","tag-trade"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}