＜Inside N.Korea＞Enormous Flood Damage at Tumen River Basin, Outcry over No Relief Efforts by Government

Aforementioned “A” said “According to some local residents, the authority opened the flood gate to protect Seodusu power plant. Once one side was collapsed, the whole river bank was swept away. Because the bank was built only with rocks without cements.”
※Seodusu is the biggest stream in Tumen River area. It joins Tumen River at the joint of Daehongdan County in Yanggang Province and Musan County in North Hamkyung Province.

Extraordinarily, Chinese put active efforts to rescue North Koreans from the flood damage. North Korean expressed their feeling about contrasting rescue activities by two countries.

“While Chinese authority searches people in the river by motorized boats, our people comb riverside to check whether anyone is hanged on river edge using just sticks. North Koreans are not looking for the Border Patrol, but waving toward the Chinese side for help.” said reporting partner “B,”

He also commented on lackadaisical response of North Korean government; the People’s Committee and Worker’s Party Committee didn’t do anything at the time of flood. While the Chinese government mobilized helicopters, they just watched things carried away by the flood at the riverbank.

Irresponsibility of the authority seems to cause the spirit of worshipping Kim’s family fall.

Reporting partner “B,” let out pent-up anger, “A woman took out Kim’s portrait and escaped, having left her grandmother when the house was flooded. She might have been praised for rescuing the portrait before. But this time everyone severely blamed her. The regime seems totally indifferent to the people. They don’t care whether people die or live. It says that four people were dead when they launched the missile.”

Damage restorations seem not so efficient. Reporting partner “B” covered the damage relief activities at the flooded area: “Storm trooper organized at the county level by the Province Party is put on the restoration sites, which is to mend a barn after the horse is stolen. Damaged homes should be restored by the instruction (Kim Jong-un’s), but the reality is severe due to shortage of material. As no relief stuff is not supplied (by the authority), Inminban (neighbor watch group) collects 500g of corn grains from each household and delivers them to the temporary shelters for the families who lost their homes.

※ ASIAPRESS uses China-based phones to contact ASIAPRESS reporting partners inside North Korea.

* Editor’s notes on North Korean reporters
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