North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have ordered the execution of about 30 government officials for failing to prevent the deaths of more than 1,000 people in recent floods, South Korean media reported. Heavy rains and landslides that have hit Chagang Province have caused numerous deaths, injuries and left many homeless.

North Korean authorities vowed to take tough action against those they said could have done more to prevent the casualties, Chosun Television reported.

Chosun TV, citing a North Korean official, said those responsible for the unacceptable loss of life would be severely punished. The report also noted that 20 to 30 officials from the flood-hit area were executed at the same time late last month.

HT was unable to independently verify the authenticity of this claim.

Due to North Korea’s extreme secrecy, it is difficult to confirm details, but the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kim Jong-un ordered authorities to “severely punish” officials after devastating floods hit Chagang province, near the border with China, in July.

During an emergency meeting of the Politburo in Sinuiju, leader Kim Jong Un asked authorities to “severely punish” those who, he said, had neglected their duties in preventing disasters and caused “even fatalities that cannot be allowed,” KCNA reported.

Investigations are ongoing into the actions of dismissed Chagang Provincial Party Secretary Kang Bong-hoon. Kang, who was also a former deputy director of the Arms Industry Department, is known to have accompanied Kim Jong-un on site inspections, the report claims.

In July, the northwestern province was hit by severe flooding, leaving thousands of people homeless and many dead or injured.
South Korean media suggested the flood death toll could exceed 1,000. North Korean state media reported that heavy rains flooded 4,100 homes, 7,410 acres of farmland and many public buildings, structures, roads and railways in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and the neighboring city of Uiju.