A private humanitarian organization providing aid to North Korea plans to launch full-fledged pilot projects to treat drug-resistant tuberculosis in North Korea.

The Seoul-based Eugene Bell Foundation announced the plan in a news conference Friday after a two-week visit to the communist state by its delegation.

The foundation's chairman Stephen Linton said that the delegation delivered secondary treatment drugs to some 300 drug-resistant tuberculosis patients in Pyongyang during its visit from November 24th.

He added that the foundation plans to provide more medication in 2010, citing the increasing need for support to treat the disease.

Linton asked for assistance as this project requires a budget larger than the amount NGOs would be able to offer, and he said that quickly setting up an organized management system would save enormous expenses in the future.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis refers to strains of tuberculosis that have developed resistance to ordinary TB medication. This strain of TB requires the use of secondary antibiotics, however, treatment is costly and complete recovery is less likely.