North Korea’s Kim Jong Un executes around 30 officials after deadly floods: Report

“It has been determined that 20 to 30 cadres in the flood-stricken area were executed at the same time late last month,” the official was quoted as saying.

While the identities of the executed officials have not been disclosed, North Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Kang Bong-hoon, who had served as the secretary of the Chagang Province Provincial Party Committee since 2019, was among the leaders removed from their positions by Kim Jong Un.

In July, severe rainfall caused widespread landslides and flooding across North Korea, affecting more than 4,000 homes and displacing 15,000 residents. Kim Jong Un personally visited the devastated areas and acknowledged that it would take several months to rebuild the neighborhoods that were completely submerged by the deluge. The government also provided temporary shelter in Pyongyang facilities for 15,400 individuals, including vulnerable groups such as mothers, children, the elderly, and disabled soldiers.

However, the North Korean leader has denied reports of a high death toll from the flooding, dismissing the claims as “false rumors” and accusing South Korea of spreading them as part of a deliberate “smear campaign” aimed at tarnishing North Korea’s global image.

According to Korea Times, public executions in North Korea have surged dramatically since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, the country typically conducted around 10 public executions per year, but that number has now skyrocketed to approximately 100 annually, marking a tenfold increase.