North Korean embassies in multiple countries have asked local contacts for help in procuring medical equipment and supplies for the forthcoming Pyongyang General Hospital, sources told NK News. 

Requests to help furnish the facility – Kim Jong Un’s keynote construction project for 2020 – came soon after as authorities begun struggling to obtain modern equipment to kit it out, sources said.

“Embassy guys asked me about helping them find medical supplies for their new hospital,” said one source on condition of anonymity.

Requests were received to provide equipment such as ventilators and supplies including “free masks” and “protective gear,”