North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during an emergency meeting in Pyongyang, May 16. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rebuked officials for failing to deliver medicine to its people in time amid the COVID-19 outbreak there, and ordered the mobilization of military personnel to stabilize supplies in the capital, state media said Monday.

The political bureau of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea convened an emergency consultative meeting again to discuss measures for epidemic control Sunday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

During the meeting, Kim expressed his dissatisfaction that medicine has not been properly supplied to pharmacies, although the politburo had issued "an emergency order to immediately release and timely supply state reserve medicines" and an "order for all pharmacies to switch over to the 24-hour operation system."

Kim then issued an "order of the chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission on immediately stabilizing the supply of medicines in Pyongyang City by involving the powerful forces of the military medical field of the People's Army," the KCNA said.