Kim Jong-Un executes 30 officials over devastating floods

An official under Kim's regime said between 20 to 30 leaders in North Korea had been charged with corruption and dereliction of duty, with the state sentencing them to capital punishment

AGENCIES | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered up to 30 officials to be executed over their alleged failure to prevent massive flooding and landslides in the summer, according to the New York Post.

In July, Kim was seen driving through the floods on an apparent inspection after calling an emergency in his country.

A record-breaking rain had left thousands of people stranded by floods in North Korea over the weekend of July 29, prompting leader Kim Jong Un to declare an "emergency".

Photographs showed submerged farmland and homes after heavy rain hit Sinuiju city and Uiju county, which border China, according to the Rodong Sinmun.

It has since been reported that the floods and landslides claimed at least 3,000 people.

An official under Kim's regime said between 20 to 30 leaders in North Korea had been charged with corruption and dereliction of duty, with the state sentencing them to capital punishment, the New York Post said, quoting TV Chosun.

"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 told the outlet.

The North Korean Central News Agency previously reported that Kim ordered authorities “strictly punish” the officials after catastrophic flooding hit the Chagang Province in July.

The officials who were executed were not identified, but the report noted that Kang Bong-hoon, the Chagang Province Provincial Party Committee Secretary since 2019, was among the leaders dismissed by Kim in an emergency meeting during the flooding disaster.

Kim also slammed reports from South Korea about the death toll, refuting the allegations that thousands were killed.