SEOUL: North Korea has decided to expel a US citizen who illegally entered the country last month, Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency said Friday.
The man, identified as Lawrence Bruce Byron, had been in custody after crossing into North Korea from China on October 16, it said.
“While being questioned, he said he had illegally entered the country under the command of the US Central Intelligence Agency,” KCNA said.
“Relevant authorities have decided to expel him from the country,” it added.
A man with the same name was arrested in South Korea while trying to sneak over the inter-Korean border in November last year.
Byron, who is in his late 50s and from Louisiana, was later deported back to the US.
Media reports said he told South Korean officials he sought to facilitate talks between North Korea and the United States, although he is a private citizen.
It is rare for North Korea to release an American detainee so swiftly and it comes amid stalled negotiations over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
From journalists to missionaries, most Americans held by North Korea have been released after high-profile interventions.
The reclusive regime freed three US detainees in May in an apparent goodwill gesture before a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in Singapore.
The three men traveled home with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and were greeted by Trump on their arrival at an air base near Washington.
Currently, there are no known US detainees held by the rigid communist state.
At their historic Singapore summit, Trump and Kim signed a vaguely worded document on denuclearization of the peninsula.
Progress has since stalled as Washington and Pyongyang spar over the meaning of the document.
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North Korea to expel US citizen who ‘illegally entered’ country
North Korea to expel US citizen who ‘illegally entered’ country
- Lawrence Bruce Byron had been in custody after crossing into North Korea from China on October 16
- It is rare for North Korea to release an American detainee so swiftly
Bitter pill: Taliban govt shakes up Afghan medicine market
- Afghanistan’s decision to overhaul its medicine market was meant to improve quality and boost domestic production, but industry specialists say the swift changes have led to a litany of problems
KABUL: Afghanistan’s decision to overhaul its medicine market was meant to improve quality and boost domestic production, but industry specialists say the swift changes have led to a litany of problems.
The Taliban authorities announced in November that the decades-long dependency on medicine imports from Pakistan would soon end, a step taken after deadly border clashes with their neighbor.
After the ban came into effect this month, finance ministry spokesman Abdul Qayoom Naseer told AFP that the government urged all importers to find “alternative and legal” sources to replace Pakistani supplies.
Despite a three-month grace period to end existing contracts and clear customs, the shift presents a huge challenge for a country which had imported more than half its medicine from Pakistan.
“Some of the prices have increased, some of them are short (unavailable), it has created a lot of problems for people,” said Mujeebullah Afzali, a pharmacist in the capital, Kabul.
Drugs now have to come from elsewhere, increasing transit time and transport costs, and adding logistical complexities.
The pharmacist said he had begun importing medicine through the Islam Qala crossing on the Iranian border, “which increased the transportation fee 10 to 15 percent.”
Transport costs used to account for six to seven percent of total spending on medicine, but this has now risen to 25 to 30 percent, said a person directly involved in the pharmaceutical industry, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
He estimated that the overall losses to business owners had already reached millions of dollars.
“If a medicine was short in the market before, a call was made to Pakistan, and the medicine was delivered in two to three days,” he said.
Whether legally or not, it was “delivered quickly,” he added.
‘Fill the gap’
The illicit trade in pharmaceuticals was a key driver for the overhaul, according to the health ministry.
“The biggest problem with Pakistani medicine was that we used to receive counterfeit and fake medicines,” ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told AFP.
He acknowledged it will take some time to shift the market, saying that officials were working with Iran, India, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Turkiye, China and Belarus to source medicine.
“India was second in the market, which means that now, through Indian medicines, we can cover the percentage needed,” Zaman said.
And domestic production of 600 medicines has “solved the problems” of many patients, he said.
Afghanistan already produces a variety of serums including antibiotics, according to manufacturer Milli Shifa Pharmaceutical.
The company makes 100,000 bottles daily and “can double the capability” if demand merits, CEO Nasar Ahmad Taraki told AFP.
While Afghanistan has significantly expanded its pharmaceutical sector, domestic output still only meets a small fraction of the overall demand.
The industry source told AFP that the need to import raw materials, the high energy costs and limited infrastructure mean the country cannot be entirely self-sufficient in medicine production.
“If we are provided with the facilities, then we would be able to fill the gap created by Pakistan’s situation,” he said.
Shortages and higher costs
But reshaping an industry nationwide takes more than three months.
Some drugs made in Afghanistan have proven more expensive than those imported from Pakistan, which over the years have gained consumers’ trust.
Some people believe that “if they use Pakistani medicine, they will be cured” — but not if it came from India “or any other country,” the industry source said.
Physicians, meanwhile, are also struggling, a health care provider in Kabul told AFP.
Doctors “must change prescriptions, find suitable alternatives, and spend additional time adjusting treatment plans,” he said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.
The shake-up, which ultimately is meant to end reliance on Pakistan, is complicating care in the short term and could delay treatment, he warned.
“Patients face medicine shortages, frequent switches to alternative products, and sometimes higher costs.”
The Taliban authorities announced in November that the decades-long dependency on medicine imports from Pakistan would soon end, a step taken after deadly border clashes with their neighbor.
After the ban came into effect this month, finance ministry spokesman Abdul Qayoom Naseer told AFP that the government urged all importers to find “alternative and legal” sources to replace Pakistani supplies.
Despite a three-month grace period to end existing contracts and clear customs, the shift presents a huge challenge for a country which had imported more than half its medicine from Pakistan.
“Some of the prices have increased, some of them are short (unavailable), it has created a lot of problems for people,” said Mujeebullah Afzali, a pharmacist in the capital, Kabul.
Drugs now have to come from elsewhere, increasing transit time and transport costs, and adding logistical complexities.
The pharmacist said he had begun importing medicine through the Islam Qala crossing on the Iranian border, “which increased the transportation fee 10 to 15 percent.”
Transport costs used to account for six to seven percent of total spending on medicine, but this has now risen to 25 to 30 percent, said a person directly involved in the pharmaceutical industry, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
He estimated that the overall losses to business owners had already reached millions of dollars.
“If a medicine was short in the market before, a call was made to Pakistan, and the medicine was delivered in two to three days,” he said.
Whether legally or not, it was “delivered quickly,” he added.
‘Fill the gap’
The illicit trade in pharmaceuticals was a key driver for the overhaul, according to the health ministry.
“The biggest problem with Pakistani medicine was that we used to receive counterfeit and fake medicines,” ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman told AFP.
He acknowledged it will take some time to shift the market, saying that officials were working with Iran, India, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Turkiye, China and Belarus to source medicine.
“India was second in the market, which means that now, through Indian medicines, we can cover the percentage needed,” Zaman said.
And domestic production of 600 medicines has “solved the problems” of many patients, he said.
Afghanistan already produces a variety of serums including antibiotics, according to manufacturer Milli Shifa Pharmaceutical.
The company makes 100,000 bottles daily and “can double the capability” if demand merits, CEO Nasar Ahmad Taraki told AFP.
While Afghanistan has significantly expanded its pharmaceutical sector, domestic output still only meets a small fraction of the overall demand.
The industry source told AFP that the need to import raw materials, the high energy costs and limited infrastructure mean the country cannot be entirely self-sufficient in medicine production.
“If we are provided with the facilities, then we would be able to fill the gap created by Pakistan’s situation,” he said.
Shortages and higher costs
But reshaping an industry nationwide takes more than three months.
Some drugs made in Afghanistan have proven more expensive than those imported from Pakistan, which over the years have gained consumers’ trust.
Some people believe that “if they use Pakistani medicine, they will be cured” — but not if it came from India “or any other country,” the industry source said.
Physicians, meanwhile, are also struggling, a health care provider in Kabul told AFP.
Doctors “must change prescriptions, find suitable alternatives, and spend additional time adjusting treatment plans,” he said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.
The shake-up, which ultimately is meant to end reliance on Pakistan, is complicating care in the short term and could delay treatment, he warned.
“Patients face medicine shortages, frequent switches to alternative products, and sometimes higher costs.”
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