Devastating floods have damaged thousands of homes and left an unknown death toll, but reports from South Korea say the number of dead and missing could be as high as 1,500, and Russia has pledged humanitarian aid to North Korea.
President Vladimir Putin offered condolences and humanitarian aid after record rains on July 27 flooded large swaths of farmland in northern North Korea near China, the Kremlin and North Korean state media reported.
“I ask you to convey my condolences and words of encouragement to all those who lost loved ones in the storm,” Putin said in a telegram to Kim Jong Un, adding that he hopes “you can always count on our help and support.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanked Putin for the offer but said the government had already taken steps to carry out restoration work and would request assistance “if help was needed,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported.
Heavy rains have battered northwestern parts of North Korea in recent days, flooding more than 4,000 homes and isolating 5,000 residents, the Korean Central News Agency reported. State media said Kim Jong Un personally inspected the affected areas.
Kim Jong Un on Saturday accused South Korean media of spreading rumours about flood damage and casualties, days after Seoul offered humanitarian aid.
South Korea’s government said on Thursday it was ready to “provide urgent humanitarian assistance” to “disaster victims in North Korea” after local media reports said the death toll could reach 1,500.
The report by South Korea’s Chosun TV was later picked up by other media outlets, which also reported on the possible deaths of rescue workers killed in the helicopter crash.
According to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong Un slammed the reports, saying they were “spreading false rumors that the casualties would be more than 1,000 to 1,500.”
He added that reports of the floods amounted to a South Korean “smear campaign to tarnish North Korea’s image and humiliate us.”
North Korea and Russia have been allies since North Korea’s founding after World War Two, but they have strengthened diplomatic and security ties in recent months, with Kim Jong Un and Putin visiting each other and signing a “comprehensive strategic partnership” agreement in June.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.
