According to claims in foreign media, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un allegedly ordered the execution of up to thirty officials for their apparent inability to stop disastrous flooding that killed almost 4,000 people. An official source was quoted by TV Chosun in South Korea as saying that the officials, who were charged with corruption and neglect of duty, were put to death around the end of last month.
In July, the Chagang Province experienced flooding that resulted in hundreds of fatalities and more than 15,000 displaced individuals. Kim reportedly ordered harsh punishment for the culpable officials, according to prior reports from North Korean state media. Though Kang Bong-hoon, a prominent party official in the province, was allegedly fired during an emergency meeting, the identities of those who were executed are still unknown.
Although these executions have not been formally confirmed by North Korean authorities, prior events have indicated that the government has a high rate of public executions, which seems to have intensified after the COVID-19 outbreak. Kim was recently spotted surveying the wreckage, refuting claims that the death toll was significant, and promising months of recuperation work.