North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the flood-affected areas of Sinuiju and Uiju County in North Pyongan Province yesterday, where he directed the rescue and evacuation of residents.
According to Rodong Sinmun, Kim stated, “On July 28, I inspected the severe flood damage areas in Sinuiju and Uiju County.” He added that he directly supervised the rescue and evacuation operations for residents from the disaster sites and predicted disaster areas caused by the heavy rain.
According to the newspaper, on July 27, record-breaking heavy rains fell in the northern border area and the Chinese side, causing the Yalu River water level to far exceed the danger level. This led to over 5,000 residents being isolated in flood-risk zones across several island areas of Sinuiju and Uiju County.
In response, senior officials from the party, government, and military were urgently dispatched to the site under Kim’s direct command, and various rescue vessels from the Air Force helicopters, Navy, and Border Guard’s maritime patrol units were deployed for the rescue operation.
Upon arriving at the airbase where rescue operations were underway, Kim oversaw the entire rescue process as more than ten helicopters made continuous round trips, rescuing residents. The newspaper reported that he directed the rescue operation.
After rescuing over 4,200 residents, he praised the pilots, stating, “It is truly an unbelievable miracle and an exemplary model of aerial rescue combat that our pilots rescued so many people by helicopter in just half a day.” He also instructed that all efforts focus on disaster recovery and relief while implementing measures to prevent future occurrences.
Kim described the flood damage situation in Sinuiju and Uiju County as extremely serious and urged local parties and government agencies to ensure the maximum provision of relief supplies, including food, medicine, and daily necessities while developing national support measures.
He further directed that, given the forecast of continued heavy rainfall in the area, immediate actions should be taken to prevent additional disasters. He called for an emergency meeting to ensure preparedness for permanent recovery measures as soon as the flood risk subsides.
Furthermore, he declared some areas along the Yalu River in North Pyongan Province, Chagang Province, and Ryanggang Province as special disaster emergency zones. He emphasized that all levels of institutions, including the Cabinet, commissions, ministries, central agencies, safety, and military institutions, should mobilize resources and equipment to quickly prevent and recover from the disaster, restoring production and living order to normal levels.
He remarked, “On July 22, the National Emergency Crisis Committee was also convened, yet it remains unclear why disaster prevention efforts have not been urgently activated,” criticizing the officials’ laziness and opportunism.
Kim pointed out that the disaster prevention agencies were ill-prepared with essential rescue means during the disaster. Particularly, the county’s emergency disaster response command and social security agencies failed to accurately assess the number of residents in the disaster risk area. The military actually rescued over 5,000 people, far exceeding the number reported by these agencies.
Accompanying Kim were Party Secretaries Jo Yong Won and Pak Thae Song, who were met at the site by military commanders, including Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Pak Jong Chon and Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam.
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