Thirty officials have been reportedly executed for failing to prevent landslides and floods that killed over 4,000 citizens last month.
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According to Newsweek, they were held responsible for the severe flooding of the Yalu River, which was triggered by heavy rains. The disaster resulted in the isolation, displacement, and death of more than 5,000 residents. The officials were also accused of corruption and neglecting their duties. Leader Kim Jon-un held an emergency meeting with Kang Bong-hoon, Secretary of the Chagang Province Provincial Party Committee, and the Minister of Public Safety. Both officials were dismissed during this meeting, TV Chosun reported.
Former North Korean diplomat Lee II-gyu said in a statement that the officials were dismissed due to social security measures and other executives are “now so anxious that they don’t know when their necks will fall off.” The floods and landslides that struck the China-North Korea border submerged over 4,000 buildings and 3,000 hectares of farmland in Sinuiju city and Uiju county.
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Jong-un also ordered officials to relocate 15,400 displaced individuals to the capital for recovery efforts, rejected international aid, and estimated that rebuilding and stabilizing the affected areas would take two or three months. As indicated by satellite images from August 8, other provinces impacted by the floods include North Pyongan, Ryanggang, and Jagang.
Public executions of officials and civilians are not uncommon in North Korea despite the country claiming that they are rare and the death penalty is hardly enforced.
