North Korean authorities have recently emphasized the need for greater economic independence, including a shift toward domestically produced products. In the medical field, this emphasis on domestic products has manifested itself in orders to expand the production of so-called “Koryo medicine” (traditional North Korean medicine). However, the side effects caused by traditional medicine have become a serious problem.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in South Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Feb. 15 that “an investigation found a total of 163 medical incidents in hospitals and clinics in [South Pyongan] Province last year. Of these, 130 cases were found to be related to drug abuse or misuse. Ninety-three of these drug-related incidents (71%) were caused by the side effects of Koryo medicine.
In short, traditional drugs have become a leading cause of medical accidents, accounting for 57% of all recorded medical accidents in South Pyongan Province last year.
As the shortage of medicine continued to worsen during the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea ordered increased production of domestically produced Koryo medicine as an alternative to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines.
On Dec. 26 last year, the Rodong Sinmun stressed the need to continue the development of various kinds of traditional medicine. The newspaper claimed that “Koryo medicine not only suits the habits and peculiar physiological characteristics of the North Korean people but is also highly effective and shows great potential in clinical trials.”
Moreover, the Ninth Expanded Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea highlighted the modernization of Koryo medicine factories as one of the major achievements of the party in 2023.
However, there is still a lack of proper research on the effectiveness of common ingredients in traditional medicine, such as willow leaves and black and white varieties of atractylodes rhizome. In addition, the factories that produce these medicines do not adequately maintain sanitary conditions for storing and handling these ingredients.
In addition, Koryo medicine does not take effect immediately, leading many patients to take more than the recommended dose to relieve symptoms, according to the source.
“Even when you take Koryo medicine, you don’t necessarily feel better, so there are some people who take the medicine several times in a single day and end up getting sick from it. Other people have experiences with taking Koryo medicine and seeing their symptoms improve, leading them to believe that the medicine is working, but they end up suffering from other illnesses such as liver inflammation [toxic hepatitis].”
North Koreans are aware that traditional medicine is often not very effective and carries a significant risk of side effects if taken incorrectly. However, the source explained that many people turn to traditional medicine as a backup option to cope with North Korea’s drug shortages.
North Korea has expanded and modernized the factories that produce Koryo medicine to address the country’s domestic drug shortages, but it has also created a whole new set of problems by failing to systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy of Koryo medicine.
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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