New reports from South Korea suggest that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un may have ordered the execution of at least 30 senior government officials following devastating summer floods that left thousands dead.
Southern This was reported by TV Chosun. North Korean authorities announced Tuesday that they have sentenced between 20 and 30 people to death for failing to stop deadly floods last month.
“At the end of last month, 20 to 30 leaders from flood-hit areas were executed at the same time,” the official said, according to the media.
North Korea's extreme secrecy makes details difficult to know, but the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong Un ordered authorities to “severely punish” officials after devastating floods in Jagang province, near the Chinese border, in July.
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North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un holds a press conference in Pyongyang, North Korea on June 19, 2024. (Contributor/Getty Images)
North Korean state media reported that heavy rains in late July flooded more than 4,000 homes and numerous public buildings, structures, roads and railways in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and the neighboring city of Uiju.
Kim blamed public officials for neglecting disaster prevention measures, causing the “unforgivable casualties.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivered a speech at a meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea held in Pyongyang, North Korea from June 28 to July 1. (Korean Central News Agency/Korean News Agency via The Associated Press)
North Korea has rejected offers of help from China, Russia and even South Korea as tensions have risen to an all-time high.
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Kim Jong Un paid a two-day visit to the city of Uiju in early August to meet with flood victims and discuss reconstruction efforts. During the visit, he accused South Korea of exaggerating the scale of the flood damage, calling it a “smear campaign” and a “serious provocation” against the North Korean government, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
