Reports from state media on Monday revealed that North Korea utilized military helicopters to rescue thousands of people stranded in a flood-affected area.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that leader Kim Jong Un personally oversaw the military rescue mission, which involved 10 helicopters and navy lifeboats. He even shook hands with the pilots individually.
Kim criticized officials for their lack of preparedness and response to the recent heavy rains, despite earlier directives to improve the country’s disaster preparedness measures.
Last week, North Korea held a crisis response meeting to discuss ways to minimize the impact of natural disasters on agriculture.
The country has been facing unprecedented rainfall, with Kaesong City experiencing a historic 463 mm (18.2 inches) of rain one day in July, the highest in 29 years according to South Korea’s meteorological administration.
Due to its weak infrastructure and deforestation, North Korea is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters.
Efforts have been made to prevent flooding, including the release of water from a dam near the inter-Korean border, raising concerns in South Korea.
In early July, South Korea’s environment ministry raised concerns that North Korea had released water from the Hwanggang Dam near the border without prior notification, a departure from recent years.
Inter-Korean relations are currently strained, with Pyongyang cutting off official military and political communication with Seoul in 2020 and destroying an inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border.
Since April 2023, North Korea has not been responding to inter-Korean hotline calls.
hs/ceb/fox
