5,000 rescued from flooding in North Korea, state media says

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — More than 5,000 people isolated by flooding in northwestern North Korea were rescued by airlift and other evacuation work after heavy summer rains caused a river on the Chinese border to swell, state media reported Monday.

The official Korean Central News Agency did not mention any deaths or how much damage the flooding on Saturday caused.

Summer floods in North Korea often cause serious damage to farmlands due to poor drainage, deforestation and dilapidated infrastructure.

About 10 military helicopters and navy and government boats were mobilized for the evacuation efforts in Sinuiju city and Uiju town where flooding had stranded residents. KCNA said that about 4,200 people were rescued by airlifts.

KCNA credited leader Kim Jong Un with overseeing the rescue operation on Sunday, likely aiming to portray him as an able leader handling a disaster and caring about the public’s well-being.

During his weekend visit to the flooded region, KCNA quoted Kim calling the rescue works “miraculous” and ordering food and other necessities to be provided to the affected people.

Kim scolded officials for failing to prepare for floods despite his orders to prevent flood damage, KCNA said, in a possible effort to shift blame while North Korea struggles with economic difficulties.

“They, seized with defeatism at combat with nature, do not confidently turn out in the disaster prevention work, only expecting chance from the sky,” Kim said, according to KCNA.

Kim said the North’s emergency response agency and the Ministry of Public Security didn’t know the exact populations of the flood-hit areas, so the number of people rescued was much larger than expected.