After intense rains brought by monsoon caused heavy flooding in North Korea, Kim Jong Un has resorted to an atypical response which could be a signal that the Hermit Kingdom is facing severe difficulties due to the disasters on top of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a report by Business Insider, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the dictator himself has ordered grain from his very own special food reserves in order to be distributed to victims of the recent flood. The move is heavily unusual since the food reserves are usually only used by Kim.
Despite the devastation caused by the rains and flooding the regime claims that nobody has died due to the floods. Meanwhile, similar flooding has taken the lives of dozens of people in both China and South Korea.
The news outlet also reported that around 179 housing blocks and 730 single-story houses have been destroyed by the flood. Moreover, almost 1,500 acres of rice fields have also been covered by the flood as of early August.
Devastations during monsoon season are not new to North Korea due to the lack of infrastructure in the nation. Back in the 1990s floods destroyed around 15% of the arable land in the country. During that time, The Atlantic reported that there were approximately 2 million people who have died, however, this contradicted the claims of the rogue nation that only 225,000 died.
Aside from ordering grains from his personal reserves, Kim also toured the villages that have been damaged by the floods earlier this month. Kim's approaches regarding the current situation in the country have raised some eyebrows since such drastic measures have not been the very usual response from the regime.
It was also stated by the state media that Kim has deemed it very important to supply beddings, foods, medicine, and other daily necessities to stabilize the living condition of the flood victims. In addition, it also reported that residents have expressed gratefulness to the "benevolent father" who helped them and treats the misfortunes of his people as his greatest pain. Thus, doing everything in order to alleviate such suffering.
On top of this, a North Korean defector who was a former diplomat from the Hermit Kingdom and now holds a parliamentary seat in the South, Thae Yong-ho, scrutinized the move taken by Kim.
According to him, the grain reserve of Kim Jong Un is a stockpile of grain which is only being used in the event of a war. Thus, this led him to believe that the current food situation in the North has become very difficult.
Moreover, Thae also said that the coronavirus crisis has added to this difficult situation in North Korea. He also stated that the move could be Kim Jong Un's distress signal to China, the only country that can send aid to the nation in times of emergency.
It can be recalled that North Korea has repeatedly brushed off any claims of difficulties amid the coronavirus crisis and the current flooding that it experience. Many critics have believed that the Hermit Kingdom continues to downplay its current situation.
