Kim Jong-un visits flood-hit area for 2nd time

Seoul, Sep 12 (IANS) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a flood-hit area in the country’s North Hwanghae province for the second time in a month to inpect recovery efforts, state-media reported on Saturday

According to a Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) report, during the inspection at Unpha county Kim expressed satisfaction over the reconstruction progress and the work plan by the North Korean troops, reports Xinhua news agency.

It was the second time in about a month that Kim visited the area.

The previous visit came in early August after torrential rains led to the breaking of a levee and left more than 900 homes flooded or destroyed and 600 hectares of rice fields inundated.

Kim said such an area returning within some 30 days “is a miracle which can be created by only the service personnel of the Korean People’s Army”.

Hwanghae province is the country’s major rice-producing region.

The leader further said that this year he mobilized a lot of units of the army to recover from flood and typhoon damage, and the army should regard the recovering as a political work for maintaining the “blood ties” between the party and the people, the report added.

During last month’s visit, Kim ordered officials to send his special stock of grain to the flood victims and facilitate the use of necessary supplies.

The North has been hit by three consecutive typhoons in recent weeks, with the latest one, Haishen, lashing the country’s eastern regions earlier this week, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Last month, heavy rainfall also pounded North Hwanghae.

Kim has made field visits to the flood-hit regions of Hwanghae and Hamgyong provinces.

Last week, he presided over an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party to discuss damage in an eastern mining region in the country’s eastern South Hamgyong province from typhoon Maysak.

–IANS

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