Heavy July Rains in N. Korea Kill 549

The Choson Sinbo, a newspaper published by the pro-North Korean General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, reported yesterday, “Heavy rain falling last month in North Korea caused serious damage, leaving 549 dead and 295 missing, and injured as many as 3,043.”

It is unprecedented that the major mass media, such as the Choson Sinbo, announced the damage level of North Korea with specific data based on national statistics like this. Until now, it has largely relied on ballpark figures sporadically collected by each local region.

To help North Korea, the government plans to contact NGOs within this week that work to help North Korea and seek a way to measure the damage level. Based on this analysis, the government plans to deliver aid to the North this month.

In regard to damage level, the Choson Sinbo reported, “28,747 families of 16,667 houses faced serious damage. Out of them, 4,438 houses (7,847 families) were totally destroyed, 3,051 houses (5,282 families) were partially destroyed, and 9,178 houses (15,618 families) were inundated.”

The Choson Sinbo also reported the damage condition of farmland, saying, “As much as 23,974 jeongbos of farmland (one jeongbo equals 3,000 pyeong) was under serious damage now. Out of this, 16,194 jeongbos were inundated, 4,250 jeongbos were buried, and 3,530 jeongbos were washed away.”

In fact, on August 5, the Choson Sinbo indirectly complained about the passive attitude of South Korea in work to help North Korea by saying, “North Koreans confront much more serious damage than the South. Despite this, South Korea’s statesmen turns a blind eye to it, blaming North Korea’s refusing South Korea’s offer for help and sensitive public attitude in South Korea on this matter.”

The government, meanwhile, announced the damage level of South Korea, saying that because of heavy rain falling throughout last month, 63 people were killed and there was 1.923 trillion won in property losses.

Typhoon Rusa that hit the peninsula in 2002 left about 20,000 people homeless and 246 missing or dead, and caused a 5.1 trillion won property loss. Also, in 1998, because of heavy rain, 24,531 became homeless and 324 were dead.

However, North Korea’s damage level is much more serious than any case of South Korea.

The size of aid to the North is expected to settle during this week. Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok who is just back to office after summer leave is having a talk with former minister Jeong Se-Hyun and executive directors of permanent committee of Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation today and, in August 9, plan to have a luncheon together with representatives of NGO Council for Cooperation with North Korea to seek a way to help North Korea.

After such a meeting, each group is planning to collect money from the public and have a talk with the North to set items to send. Then these groups will deliver the aid individually with the assistance of the government. The government will support the NGO groups’ activities by injecting money from the Inter-Korea Cooperation Fund, the amount of which will be decided in proportion to the amount of funds raised by the NGO groups.

Relief goods include food (such as rice, ramyeon, and wheat flour), blankets, medical supplies and others. A source from the government said, however, “Even though rice is included this time as relief goods, it is a part of emergent aid. We don’t change our position of suspending the support of rice and fertilizers to the North that was taken after North Korea’s missile launches.”

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