A recent study indicates that North Korea has effectively dismantled its free treatment system, a cornerstone of its propaganda for over 70 years.
The Korea University Institute for Health and Social Affairs announced on Wednesday that after analyzing 122,902 articles from North Korea’s ruling party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, published between 2015 and 2024, they found that references to free treatment have completely vanished from official discourse.
The institute reported a sharp decline in articles that mentioned free treatment following the COVID-19 pandemic, with no mentions at all in the past year.
Interestingly, articles discussing preventive medicine and the doctor-assigned district system—other key elements of North Korea’s healthcare policy—saw a significant increase post-pandemic. This stark contrast highlights the deliberate omission of free treatment from public discourse.
Researchers noted that this shift in the official narrative aligns with observable changes in North Korea’s healthcare policies.
Since declaring victory over COVID-19 in August 2022, North Korea has removed the word People’s from the names of state hospitals. In January of last year, Kim Jong Un mentioned a health insurance fund for medical coverage in a speech to the Supreme People’s Assembly, signaling a potential move away from the principle of free treatment.
The institute emphasized that the significance of this study lies in its ability to detect a fundamental shift in healthcare policy through an analysis of North Korea’s state media.
They warned that North Korean authorities might prioritize facility improvements and the expansion of health insurance over restoring universal services like free treatment, potentially widening the gap in access to medical services.
The research, titled, What Silence Reveals: The Quiet Abandonment of Free Health Care in North Korea, was published in the latest issue of the international journal BMJ Global Health.