North Korea executed multiple government officials after extensive flooding in late July killed thousands in the country’s northern region, according to a report by a South Korean broadcaster.
Around 20 to 30 regional government officials in the flood-stricken area were shot by firing squads last month, TV Chosun said, citing an unidentified South Korean government official.
The devastating floods may have killed up to a few thousand people in the most-hit area in Jagang province, the broadcaster reported.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service is closely monitoring the situation after obtaining intelligence related to the developments, a spokesperson at the spy agency said, without giving further details. South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handled relations with the North, declined to comment.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said at an emergency Workers Party meeting in late July that he would strictly punish those who “severely neglected” their duties and were therefore responsible for the casualties.
North Korea’s propaganda apparatus distributed photos of Kim overseeing rescue efforts in the wake of the disaster but did not report any deaths.
The downpours damaged about 4,100 homes, swept over roads and rail links, and wiped out about 3,000 hectares of farmland in the city of Sinuiju, a trade hub connected to China by bridge, and the nearby county of Uiju, according to North Korean state media. About 5,000 people were rescued, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
According to TV Chosun, the flood damage was more extensive further north in Jagang province, which abuts China and is home to the upper and middle reaches of the Yalu River, known as the Amnok River in Korea.
Some bodies were discovered during the work of clearing soil after water levels receded, the South Korean media outlet reported.