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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) visits a rice paddy in the central border county of Kimhwa, Gangwon Province, in this photo provided by the Rodong Sinmun on Oct. 2, 2020. He was accompanied by Kim Yo-jong (2nd from L), his younger sister and first vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee. (Rodong Sinmun) |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered full state support for recovery efforts in a flood-hit eastern province as the country convened an emergency meeting of the provincial military commission to come up with recovery plans, state media reported Sunday.
About 1,170 homes were destroyed or flooded, and some 5,000 residents were evacuated urgently and large tracts of farmlands were flooded as up to 307 millimeters of rain fell in the eastern South Hamgyong Province between Aug. 1-2, according to earlier state media reports.
The South Hamgyong Provincial Military Commission of the Workers' Party met on Thursday and discussed "such technical matters as the formation of construction forces to be rapidly dispatched to the relevant areas," according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Leader Kim did not attend the meeting, but "issued an order to render powerful national material and financial support to South Hamgyong Province in its recovery campaign," including releasing state reserves to urgently supply basic materials necessary for the recovery, the KCNA said.
"It was mentioned at the meeting that upon receiving the news about damage by downpour in the province, the respected General Secretary Kim Jong-un specified the direction and ways for recovery from damage several times and took measures for providing materials urgently needed for it," the KCNA said.
"It was also emphasized that he called for awakening and arousing the officials of the city and county party committees and Party organizations into waging the recovery campaign skillfully and unyieldingly," it added.
The meeting decided to organize a "powerful damage recovery commanding team" for the province, while adopting "a decision to finish the recovery work by the Oct. 10 founding anniversary of the party, the KCNA said.
Details on damage caused by heavy downpours were not disclosed.
North Korea has recently ramped up calls for flood prevention efforts to prevent the repeat of devastation caused by back-to-back typhoons last summer in major farming areas, which aggravated the country's already serious food shortages.
Last week, state media reported that the country's southwest region known for key rice-growing fields was put on high alert against flooding. (Yonhap)
