Rare stunt: A KCNA photo shows Kim (left) inspecting the flood-hit Sinuiju city in an inflatable boat. — AP
KIM Jong-un plants his feet in mud, rides a cramped rubber rescue boat on a swollen river and directs military helicopters unloading evacuees on a rain-soaked runway.
North Korea’s propaganda apparatus is breaking new ground in the way it has portrayed him battling alongside ordinary citizens as he tackles a flood emergency that has devastated a northwestern area of the country and is estimated to have caused a “considerable human toll”, according to the South Korean ministry that manages relations with the neighbour.
That discrepancy could mean his government’s trying to shift the blame for a disaster that may be bigger than reported.
State media photos convey the message that Kim cares deeply for his people and their unusual hands-on settings may also be intended to enhance the cult of personality around the leader.
“Kim’s recent activities are unimaginable for North Korea,” said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at South Korea’s state-run Korea Institute for National Unification.
The city of Sinuiju, a trade hub connected to China by bridge, and the nearby county of Uiju were hit by torrential rains and floods in the last week of July. The downpours have damaged about 4,100 homes, swept over roads and rail links, and wiped out about 3,000ha of farmland, according to North Korean state media reports.
About 5,000 people have been rescued, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which has not reported any deaths.
KCNA has gone to great lengths to showcase Kim’s involvement, saying he has been at an airstrip to direct military helicopter flights to shuttle people to safety.
“The rescued people saw him waiting for them at the violent rainy airport so unexpectedly and broke into cheers, shedding tears of boundless gratitude and emotion,” KCNA said.
The flooding started at around the time Kim was celebrating the July 27 anniversary marking the end of fighting in the 1950-1953 Korean War at a Pyongyang event that included a musical gala.
The exact number of casualties was not immediately known, but South Korean media outlet TV Chosun reported at least hundreds were estimated to have been killed, citing a government source it did not identify.
South Korea has offered to provide humanitarian assistance but Pyongyang had not responded to the proposal.
North Korea has not accepted offers for aid from South Korea for several years and has given no public indication it wants help from its southern neighbour.
The flood-hit area is a major producer of grain and any loss of cropland adds to food insecurity in a country where the United Nations World Food Programme has said about 40% of the population is undernourished. — Bloomberg
