North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un may have ordered at least 30 government officials to be executed after devastating floods over the summer that killed thousands, according to a new report from South Korea.
The South’s TV Chosun reported On Tuesday, North Korean authorities sentenced between 20 and 30 people to death last month for their failure to stop the deadly flood.
An official was quoted as telling the outlet: “Twenty to 30 cadres in the flood-affected area were executed simultaneously at the end of last month.”
Although the details are difficult to know given the North’s extreme secrecy, the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has reported that Kim ordered authorities to “severely punish” the officials after catastrophic floods hit Chagang province, near the border with China, in July.
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North Korean state media reported that heavy rains in late July left over 4,000 homes, as well as many other public buildings, structures, roads and railways flooded in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and the neighboring city of Uiju.
Kim blamed public officials who had neglected disaster prevention for causing “the casualty that cannot be allowed.”
The North has rejected offers of help from China, Russia and even South Korea, with whom tensions remain high.
Kim made a two-day tour of Uiju in early August to meet with flood victims and discuss recovery efforts. While touring there, Kim was quoted by KCNA as accusing the South of exaggerating the extent of damage from the floods, denouncing it as a “smear campaign” and a “serious provocation” against his government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Original article source: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un reportedly ordered dozens of officials executed after deadly floods