North Korea reportedly executed 30 officials last month for their alleged failure to mitigate the devastation caused by floods and landslides that killed over 4,000 people.
The officials were charged with corruption and dereliction of duty, South Korean outlet TV Chosun reported.
The catastrophic flooding hit the Chagang province in July and also displaced more than 15,000 people.
According to North Korean news reports, the flooding caused widespread destruction in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and neighbouring Uiju, with over 4,100 homes, 7,410 acres of farmland, and many roads, buildings and railway lines affected.
The country’s leader Kim Jong-un ordered authorities to “strictly punish” the officials responsible, the North Korean Central News Agency reported.
An unnamed official in the Kim regime told TV Chosun that 20 to 30 cadres in the flood-stricken area were executed late last month. The report could not be independently verified.
Instead, he asked officials to relocate thousands of displaced residents to the capital city of Pyongyang, where they would receive better care and support. The rebuilding efforts were expected to take around two to three months, during which time the government planned to provide for nearly 15,400 vulnerable people in facilities within Pyongyang.
Kim also dismissed a senior official, Kang Bong-hoon, from his position as Chagang province provincial party committee Secretary, TV Chosun claimed.
In 2019, Chosun reported that Kim Hyok Chol, North Korea’s nuclear envoy to America, had been executed for his inability to secure a summit between Mr Kim and then president Donald Trump.
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