Disasters & Accidents

Kim Jong-un visits areas hit by Maysak as country braces for another typhoon

Seoul, Sep 6 (EFE).- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited areas affected earlier this week by the typhoon Maysak, which destroyed over 1,000 houses, state news agency KCNA reported Sunday even as the country was bracing for another, bigger typhoon.

During his Saturday visit to the provinces of South and North Hamgyong, Kim presided over a meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea to discuss the relief and rehabilitation efforts in the area, situated along the eastern coast of the country.

“Heavy rain and strong wind by Typhoon No. 9 (of the season, Maysak) destroyed dwelling houses of over 1,000 families in the coastline areas in each of the two provinces, submerging many public buildings and vast areas of farmland,” KCNA reported.

Kim was informed of the damages caused by the tropical storm and commented that “safety measures taken along the overall coastline of the country are defective and sea dikes were not properly built,” before ordering the dispatch of a construction workforce to the area.

According to KCNA, Kim also urged the members of the party, especially those from capital Pyongyang, to “take the lead in aiding the provinces when the country undergoes difficulties,” in order to boost national unity.

Similarly, in an open letter to the party members in the capital, Kim said that 12,000 “elite” members of the WKP will be sent to the two provinces to take part in the disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts.

“As he learned about the growth of the crops afflicted by typhoon, (Kim) said positive agricultural and technological measures should be taken to minimize the reduction of the crop yield,” said the KCNA.

North Korea has been affected by large-scale floods since August, generating concerns over its economy due to the possible impact on agriculture land, which could worsen its food shortage problem.

In Saturday’s meeting the head of the South Hamgyong Provincial Committee of the party was dismissed, ostensibly due to his handling of the disaster, according to KCNA.

The reports of the meeting comes a day after state daily Rodong Sinmun published an article about the punitive actions taken against local authorities in the city of Wonsan and the Kangwon province due to their lack of preparedness ahead of the typhoon, which killed “dozens of people” according to the newspaper.

However, an exact death toll has not been provided by the state-controlled media.

On Sunday, Rodong Sinmun warned about the approaching typhoon Haishen, more powerful than Maysak, which is expected to affect the Korean peninsula from Monday.

North Korea has issued an alert over the approaching storm and taken measures to minimize agricultural and infrastructural damage for the population, KCNA said in another statement. EFE

co-mra/ia

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