5,000 people rescued from North Korea floods during Kim-led evacuation efforts, report says

HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press

13 minutes ago

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a flood-stricken area in North Phyongan Province, North Korea, Sunday, July 28, 2024. Independent journalists were denied access to report on the event depicted in this image, which was distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. The Korean watermark on the image, as provided by the source, reads “KCNA,” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — More than 5,000 people isolated by flooding in northwestern North Korea have been rescued by airlifts and other evacuation efforts overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported Monday.

Heavy rain on Saturday caused a river on the North Korea-China border to surge above dangerous levels, causing “a serious crisis,” the official Korean News Agency said.

About 10 military helicopters and navy and government boats were mobilized for the evacuation in the towns of Sinuiju and Uiju, where residents were isolated by flooding.

KCNA did not report any deaths or how much damage the floods caused. It said each of its roughly 10 helicopters fought several times to move residents despite the bad weather, eventually rescuing 4,200 of the affected people by airlift.

Kim is said to have led evacuation efforts on Sunday, ordered the distribution of food and other supplies to affected people and set tasks for recovery and relief efforts.

According to KCNA, Kim called the rescue work “miraculous” as more than 5,000 people were saved through the efforts.

Summer floods in North Korea often cause severe damage to farmland due to poor drainage, deforestation and dilapidated infrastructure. Typhoons and torrential rains in 2020 were among the hardships that Kim previously said had created “multiple crises” at home, along with draconian pandemic-related restrictions and UN sanctions over his nuclear weapons program.

During his weekend visit to the flooded area, Kim also criticized authorities for letting their guard down despite having repeatedly given orders to prevent flood damage, KCNA reported.

“Those who are in the grip of defeatism in their struggle with nature are not confident in disaster prevention work. They only expect an opportunity from the sky,” Kim said, according to KCNA.

Kim stressed that the irresponsible attitude of those charged with ensuring people’s safety should not be overlooked. He said that the North’s disaster relief agency and the Ministry of Public Security did not even know the exact populations of the flood-affected areas, causing the number of people rescued to be higher than expected.

Observers say Kim’s criticism could be seen as an attempt to shift blame while establishing his own image as a leader who cares about his people as North Korea struggles with economic problems and international isolation.