Pyongyang, July 31 (KCNA - RSTV)   

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Shortly ago, floods and heavy rains seriously and consecutively damaged some areas of the country, including North Phyongan and Jagang provinces.

In this regard, the 22nd emergency enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held in an afflicted area in the city of Sinuiju, North Phyongan Province, from July 29 to 30 to take urgent rehabilitation measures.

Prior to the meeting, the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un inspected the flooded areas, together with the premier of the Cabinet and secretaries of the WPK Central Committee.

Many public buildings, facilities, roads and railways, including more than 4 100 houses and nearly 3 000 hectares of farmland, were flooded in the city of Sinuiju and Uiju County located on the lower reaches of the Amnok River.

Going round the areas deeply flooded beyond recognition, Kim Jong Un expressed deep concern and his determination to take powerful state measures for the rehabilitation project in the shortest time to provide the people with a better cradle for life.

Attending the meeting were members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee and members and alternate members of the Political Bureau.

Present as observers were senior officials in the fields related to rehabilitation, including electric-power, railways and communications fields and agriculture.

Comrade Kim Jong Un presided over the meeting.

Noting that the emergency enlarged meeting was convened to discuss damage prevention and rehabilitation measures as flooding simultaneously damaged several areas in recent days and its further danger is looming, he detailed the national and regional flood damage grasped so far.

He gave an appraisal of the relief measures and rehabilitation work taken and conducted by the relevant regions and institutions at different levels since the happening of the disaster, and analyzed the achievements and shortcomings.

He enumerated such evil practices revealed as the issue of the disaster danger, which could have been surely minimized in the early period but was amplified due to the failure of unified command despite the existence of the state guidance system related to emergency disaster response, and the issue of provinces, cities and counties, which could not but helplessly suffer from disaster for their chronic and indifferent attitude toward the disaster prevention work as they had not suffered great damage by flooding in the past. He then proposed to strictly punish those who severely neglected their responsible duties assigned by the Party and the state and thus caused even casualties, a practice that cannot be pardoned.

Saying that the people are observing the meeting even at this moment as they trust the Party, he underscored the need to take all measures in a powerful and detailed manner to remove the aftermath as soon as possible, mindful of the expectation of the people and the important mission before them, and set forth important tasks and ways to this end.

He stressed that measures should be taken to urgently supply the reserve materials for emergency disaster relief to quickly stabilize the living of the people in the flood-hit areas, and that the Cabinet and relevant ministries and national agencies should be actively mobilized in this work.

He detailed the practical issues arising in the rehabilitation work, including those of correctly surveying the damage and losses in provinces and, on this basis, making a scientific calculation of the scale of rehabilitation projects, manpower and budget, of ensuring promptness in the projects by enlisting the design forces in the capital city and regional areas without delay and giving precedence to designing and of dispatching construction workforce as soon as possible and fully supplying and transporting materials.

Saying that it is necessary to thoroughly prevent additional damage caused by the disastrous climate in the future, he called on the meteorological forecast sector to make weather forecast in a responsible manner and on every sector and unit to make thoroughgoing preparations for preventing damage with the highest degree of awareness and, in particular, to make sure that no casualty is caused.

Calling for dynamically pushing ahead with the work of rapidly stockpiling essential equipment and apparatuses for rescue operation at a time when disaster occurs, he made public important measures for it.

Calling upon the participants in the meeting including members of the Political Bureau to visit the tents where the flood victims of Uiju County are staying temporarily and thus feel the sense of their heavy responsibility while directly seeing their living conditions, console and encourage them, make a deep study of detailed measures for rehabilitation, listening to their candid opinions, and submit the measures to the Political Bureau, he concluded the first-day sitting.

The second-day sitting took place on July 30.

The meeting studied the draft decision on the immediate repair of the flood damage.

The decision “On rapidly repairing the flood damage in North Phyongan and Jagang provinces,” which additionally reflected the results of study and opinions of the participants, was adopted with unanimous approval at the meeting.

The meeting appointed Ri Hi Yong, former First Deputy Department Director of the Organizational Leadership Department of the WPK Central Committee, as Chief Secretary of the North Phyongan Provincial Committee of the WPK, Pak Song Chol, Chief Secretary of the North Phyongan Provincial Committee of the WPK, as Chief Secretary of the Jagang Provincial Committee of the WPK and Pang Tu Sop, first Deputy Department Director of the Department of Political Leadership over Military Affairs of the WPK Central Committee, as Minister of Public Security.

Concluding the meeting, Kim Jong Un said that we have faced a crisis several times, but each time we have been brave and offensive in the face of it and always worked only miracles and there is nothing impossible as long as there are the leadership of the Party and the army and people that are faithful to the Party. He ardently called for stoutly turning out in the face of this crisis and making miraculous achievements.

The 22nd emergency enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the Eighth Central Committee of the WPK will shine long in the history of the WPK as an epochal occasion for putting the buildup of the disaster prevention and management capability of the country onto a new high and as an important political event that clearly demonstrated once again the sacred mission and people-oriented character of the WPK which gives top and absolute priority to the interests of the people and makes selfless, devoted efforts for the good of the people.

Decision of Political Bureau of WPK Central Committee “On Rapidly Repairing the Flood Damage in North Phyongan and Jagang Provinces” Adopted

The Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea on July 30 adopted a decision to rehabilitate the island areas and some flooded areas in the city of Sinuiju and Uiju County in North Phyongan Province, situated on the lower reaches of the Amnok River, and build modern houses there and rapidly restore the damaged roads, railways and public buildings in Jagang Province by concentrating nationwide efforts.

The decision reflects the following contents:

The state shall vigorously step up the rehabilitation work by concentrating all its efforts.

To this end, headquarters for rehabilitation of North Phyongan and Jagang provinces shall be organized separately and necessary staff departments, including those for design, construction and materials supply, and political departments be set up at the headquarters, involving necessary officials from the Party Central Committee, the Cabinet, ministries, national agencies, armed forces, the munitions field and the relevant provinces.

Units of the Korean People’s Army and the Paektusan Hero Youth Shock Brigade shall build more than 4 400 modern houses in the afflicted areas of the city of Sinuiju and Uiju County, and North Phyongan Province shall undertake the work of building permanent and durable embankments in the island areas in cooperation with the Korean People’s Army.

Forces of the Korean People’s Army shall be dispatched to the rehabilitation campaign area of Jagang Province, and all provinces shall organize and send regiments of Party members to the seriously damaged cities and counties in North Phyongan and Jagang provinces and some of those forces shall be mobilized in the rehabilitation projects in Ryanggang Province.

KPA Air Force Helicopters Conclude Rescue Operation in Kim Jong Suk County of Ryanggang Province

The Jangjin River was flooded by a downpour on July 28, creating a crisis in which more than 150 people were isolated in the Janghang-ri area of Kim Jong Suk County, Ryanggang Province.

The Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea gave the Air Force of the Korean People’s Army a special order to mobilize helicopters in an emergency rescue operation.

The helicopters ensured the safe rescue of all the people by making seven rounds of flights in a responsible way.

The result of the rescue operation was immediately reported to the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un.

Comrade Kim Jong Un highly appreciated repeatedly the extraordinary fighting efficiency, matchless self-sacrificing spirit and bravery of the helicopter group and its commander that performed another heroic feat in their difficult mission after perfectly completing the large-scale rescue operation in the area of North Phyongan Province.