North Korea has spent August dealing with the aftermath of floods caused by heavy rains in late July that destroyed river levees, homes and other structures in the country's north, sweeping away countless people, many of whom are still missing.
Flooding is a perennial problem in North Korea, and the Kim family's regime has had 80 years to come up with effective solutions to it. While the regime has tried to change appearances, in substance the solutions don't seem to have changed much. Kim Jong Un, the third-generation leader, continues to follow the well-worn methods of his grandfather and father.
A series of articles published by Osaka-based Asia Press throughout August saw the administration again emphasize these playbook responses.
Mobilize the masses. Rebuild with old, shoddy architecture. Find a scapegoat to blame and punish. Turn the disaster into propaganda for a golden personality cult.
Asia Press cited state media reports as saying:
Kim Jong Un visited the disaster area on July 29th and ordered rescue and recovery efforts. The military was deployed to Sinuiju and other areas, rescuing about 5,000 people. The extent of the damage is unclear, but it is believed that there have been a series of casualties and flooding of farmland in the disaster-stricken areas.
Asia Press communicates with its “reporting partners” in North Korea through Chinese-made mobile phones smuggled into the country. Below is an excerpt from a flood report citing one such source:
Hyesan's reporting partner is a member of the Korean Socialist Women's Union, an organization made up mostly of housewives. The local women's union branch had called for donations of clothing, blankets and other relief supplies for the flood victims, but she reported that “because everyone is struggling financially, by the morning of August 1, all they had collected were three work clothes, five pairs of old shoes and one used blanket.”
At the meeting, the president of a local women's union branch expressed anger at the poor results and called for “sincere participation in relief efforts”, but there are reportedly limits to what those in need can do and relief efforts are lackluster.
Meanwhile, it is only the officials' families who are rushing around offering donations of pots, clothes, rice and cash, driven not by any concern for those in need but by fear.
According to state media, Kim Jong Un toured the disaster-hit city of Sinuiju on July 29 and 30 with senior Workers' Party officials. At the meeting, Kim reportedly criticized officials for dereliction of duty and inadequate initial response, said “an unacceptable loss of life has occurred,” and vowed to “severely punish” them. Several officials, including the National Police Agency chief, have reportedly been dismissed.
This news reportedly threw Ryanggang province officials into chaos. Hyesan's reporting partner explained:
“After learning that Kim Jong Un had fired the Sinuiju officials, party officials in Ryanggang province have been mobilizing in large numbers. They are making a big fuss about mobilizing lower-ranking officials to survey the damage and help with recovery work. The families of the officials are clamoring to donate rice and cash to support the workers mobilized for the recovery work.”
Flood damage caused by heavy rains occurs frequently in North Korea, and repair work on river levees and waterways is carried out almost every year in various areas. Factory and company workers and residents are mobilized and assigned to work crews. Asia Press understands that in the areas affected by the recent heavy rains, a “blame game” has already begun over who is responsible for the work. Our reporting partner in Hyesan explained the situation as follows:
“It looks like Hyesan Mining, which was in charge of repairing the embankments in the Gasan-ri area, will be held responsible. Seeing how the central government is handing out punishments indiscriminately, lower-ranking officials are also recklessly punishing innocent people. No matter how much effort is put into repair work, flooding cannot be stopped by simply piling up earth and stones.”
A week into August, Asia Press asked our reporting partner in Hyesan what measures the authorities were taking and how the recovery efforts were progressing.
Food has not yet been distributed. I had heard that the state-run grain store would distribute rice, but that has not happened yet. The Esan coal mine apparently distributes 3 kilograms of corn per worker, but how can they survive on that?
Instructions have been given to strengthen support for flood damage recovery, and not only the relevant authorities but also related organizations have been mobilized to focus on recovery work. In particular, in local areas, the People's Committees (local governments) seem to be extremely busy reporting all the damage situation on the ground directly to the central government. They are taking photos and collating information on the damage situation.
Separately, authorities have asked each household in the People's Unit to voluntarily contribute 3,000 won each, but no one has paid.
Company employees have been mobilized to repair the levees, but there is no cement and they are just piling up stones. At this rate, it is obvious that the levees will break again.
I heard that all the party leaders in Ryanggang province had submitted a self-criticism report, stating that the floods were not the responsibility of the central party, but rather an accident brought about by the expediency and defeatism of local leaders. They were asked to write about how the party's policies had been implemented and what had fallen short.
“The authorities have made broadcasts and speeches praising those who have offered help and those who have been mobilized, promoting the idea that helping one another in times of difficulty is a noble communist tradition and a sign of patriotism.
However, only people with high incomes can donate, and they do so to get their name out there. People who are struggling financially cannot donate much, so they are cautious about donating because they are afraid that people might question why they have the money.
From homeless to Pyongyang
Asia Press asked our reporting partner about Kim Jong Un's announcement that he would bring to Pyongyang people who had lost their homes in the floods (excluding those whose loyalty to the regime is deemed to be wavering), and about his rejection of offers of aid from South Korea, Russia and international organizations.
I don't know why they are taking them to Pyongyang. Is it for show?
Regarding the refusal of outside help, there has been some opposition, with people saying, “We are beggars. How can we survive on pride alone?”
In late August, the central government decided that soliciting donations from ordinary citizens wasn't enough. “North Korean authorities reportedly announced that 'aid for flood victims will be the responsibility of the Workers' Party and the state,'” Asia Press reported. “This appears to be the government's response to growing discontent among ordinary citizens who have been effectively forced to donate clothing, bedding and other supplies for the victims.”
The media cited information provided by another media partner in North Hamgyong Province on August 12.
Flood victims are reportedly being relocated to Pyongyang. Meanwhile, the government says it will repair damaged homes and provide all electrical appliances. The goal is to have them in new homes by September 9th and all affected households housed by October 10th.
The effort to restore damaged homes has been mobilized by everyone from authorities to ordinary citizens. Each ministry has mobilized its “urban construction corps” and redirected personnel who had been mobilized for other tasks to flood recovery efforts.
The Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea, reported that around 13,000 flood victims arrived in Pyongyang on August 15. “When speaking with fellow reporters in the northern region, it became clear that there was great dissatisfaction and resentment among residents, with many calling it an 'empty show,'” Asia Press reported.
“On August 21, I asked my reporting colleague A, who lives in Musan County, North Hamgyong Province, if he knew about the 'evacuation to Pyongyang' of flood victims.” A's response:
Everyone knows that the flood victims were brought to Pyongyang. The government is probably afraid of losing the support of the people because so many people died in pitiful circumstances. Everyone around is laughing and saying, “It's a show.”
Many people died and their bodies have not been found. The Workers' Party organizations tell them to look after the bereaved families, but once they're dead, it's over. There is a lot of opposition, as people wonder what the point is of giving a few kilos of corn after they've died. If they had the money to send people to Pyongyang, they should have taken measures against flooding in advance. It is said behind closed doors that the response after such damage is nothing more than propaganda.
Asia Press reported that on August 15, when the flood victims arrived in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un encouraged the victims by saying, “As precious members of the people, you have been loyal to the Party throughout your lives and have worked devotedly for the prosperity and development of the nation. Even when you lost your homes in an unexpected disaster, you valued your faith in the Party more than the personal property and homes you lost, and your faith in the Party has not fundamentally changed.”
In fact, the Asia Press article points out that “public sentiment appears to already be drifting away.” Asia Press concluded its six-part article with a comment from reporting partner B, who lives in Hyesan City, Ryanggang Province.
“In the past, when there was a fire or flood, the first thing people did was take away portraits of the Kim family rulers,” points out B. “The portraits are something that people have to protect, literally at the risk of their lives. But this time, many people took away household items such as televisions, solar panels and transformers. People's attitudes seem to be changing.”
Bradley K. Martin is the author of Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty, a history of North Korea under the rule of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. Martin is also the author of Nuclear Blues, a novel set in North Korea under the current rule of Kim Jong-un.
