The Pyongyang Times reporter Yun Kyong Il recently interviewed Jon Pyong Il, chief engineer of the Koryo medicine production management bureau under the Ministry of Public Health, with regard to the development and production of traditional Koryo medicines.

The Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea highlighted the tasks facing the public health sector related to the protection of the people’s lives and the promotion of their health. I think it is one of the important tasks to develop traditional Koryo medicine.

Sure. Recently, the Party stressed as an important policy task to develop and produce many efficient Koryo medicines and constantly increase their variety.

Koryo medicines are superior to modern medicines in that they have little side effects and high efficacy.

To push ahead with the effort for producing in larger quantities the traditional medicines whose treatment effects have already been confirmed and developing new ones is of great significance in thoroughly implementing the Party’s policy on preventive medicine and promoting the people’s health.

So what is important in increasing the variety and production of Koryo medicines?

It is to produce efficient Koryo medicines which suit the constitutions and tastes of our people in larger quantities and higher quality.

Only by developing and producing Koryo medicines on a large scale by relying on locally abundant herbs and other medicinal materials can we make a big stride in solving the medicine problem.

We should continue to make progress in the work for putting Koryo medicine production on a scientific and modern basis.

Koryo medicine production units should direct efforts into laying firm material and technical foundations so as to normalize production and providing a cultured and hygienic production environment. At the same time, they should work hard to increase the employees’ technical knowledge and skills.

Another important matter is to ensure a sufficient supply of raw and other materials and to explore new herb resources and intensify research efforts to this end.

The public health sector and the units in charge of cultivation and supply of medicinal herbs should carry out cultivation, collection and purchase of herbs in a responsible manner so that Koryo medicine pharmaceutical factories could put production on a normal track.

The factories should introduce newly developed technologies and efficient Koryo medicines into production as soon as possible by building up their own technical forces and collaborating closely with scientific research institutes.

The more Koryo medicines are produced, the further the advantages of the socialist health system will be displayed.