North Korea mobilises military for flood rescue

North Korea has deployed military helicopters to bring thousands of people stranded in a flood-hit zone to safety.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Monday that leader Kim Jong Un “personally guided” a military rescue – comprising 10 helicopters and naval lifeboats – shaking the hands of the pilots “one by one”.

However, Kim also reprimanded officials for their failure to prepare and respond to the recent torrential rains despite previous orders to enhance the country’s measures against natural disasters, the state media outlet said.

Last week, North Korea conducted a crisis response meeting to discuss strategies to mitigate the impact of natural disasters on agriculture.

North Korea has been enduring record-breaking downpours. On one day in July, Kaesong City experienced an unprecedented 463mm (18.2 inches) of rain.

South Korea’s meteorological administration said it was the highest volume of rainfall recorded in the North in 29 years.

Natural disasters tend to have a greater impact on the isolated and impoverished North due to its weak infrastructure, while deforestation has left the country vulnerable to flooding.

It has been working to try to prevent floods. The release of water from a dam near the border recently raised concern in Seoul.

South Korea’s Ministry of Environment said in early July that North Korea had likely discharged water from the Hwanggang Dam near the inter-Korean border without prior notification, something they have not done in recent years.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years.

Pyongyang unilaterally cut off all official military and political communication links with Seoul in 2020 and blew up a disused inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border.

It has not been responding to inter-Korean hotline calls since April 2023.