Record-breaking rainfall in North Korea over the weekend has left thousands stranded by flooding, prompting leader Kim Jong Un to declare a state of “emergency,” according to state media reports.
Images have emerged of submerged farmland and homes in Sinuiju city and Uiju county, areas bordering China. The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper, reported that many people were rescued via airlift, though the BBC cannot independently verify these claims.
This natural disaster exacerbates existing challenges in North Korea, including food shortages and inadequate infrastructure.
Despite the country’s usual tendency to conceal adverse events, it has been relatively transparent about this situation, with the newspaper describing it as a “grave crisis.”
The report did not provide casualty figures but noted that over 4,200 residents were evacuated after more than 10 planes made up to 20 consecutive round-trip flights.
Unusually, photographs showed Kim Jong Un navigating floodwaters in a black Lexus, a departure from the norm where senior leaders typically oversee disaster management efforts.
According to Gordon Kang, a senior North Korean analyst, these images are unprecedented.
State media emphasized that Kim Jong Un has “personally directed the battle” against the floods and declared parts of three provinces as “special disaster emergency zones.”