Kim Jong Un calls for ‘urgent response efforts’ for rebuilding after typhoon wreaks havoc

On September 8, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for ‘urgent response efforts’ to rebuild the demolished structures and draft recovery plans to attend to the devastation caused by the typhoon in the country’s eastern region last week, state media reported. Kim held a Workers’ Party meeting to expedite the unspecified year-end projects to lead the response to the storm damages and revise the decades of policy failures to lift the economy in shackles from the coronavirus pandemic. Kim conducted several high-level political conferences after he paid a visit to inspect the disaster areas and has been trying to fix the economic setbacks and bolster governance in North Korea, according to state-run media reports. 

A state KCNA reported “severe damage” in the eastern town of Komdok due to the typhoon Maysak. As many as 2,000 homes and dozens of public buildings were demolished it added. While the country’s transport systems were in chaos, at least 60 kilometers (37 miles) of roads were “washed” and broken and over 59 bridges collapsed in the storm. Many railroads in the region were also reported destroyed as typhoon wreaked havoc in the region. Calling it a national priority, Kim on September 8 said in a meeting that the important arteries of the national economy had to b activated to be able to rebuild homes and for other financial assistance in response to the crisis.

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[[North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right, holds corn during his visit to a western coastal area in South Hwanghae province, North Korea, where Typhoon Bavi made landfall. Credit: AP]

Further, he ordered the roads and railways to be reconstructed prior to the 75th anniversary of his ruling party held on October 10 every year. Earlier, in a meeting held last month, Kim chaired a meeting where his ruling party scheduled a rare congress to meet in January 2021 to lay a 5-year plan focused on development, KCNA reported. 

“Kim urged for efforts toward “minimizing the damage in the agricultural field in particular and reduction in the harvest by making a correct examination of the crop damage and taking measures for improving their growth,” KCNA report mentioned.

Test for state’s capacity and resources

A professor at Ewha University in Seoul, Leif-Eric Easley, reportedly said that the decisions to mobilize military and Pyongyang elites have been on the threshold of Kim’s responsiveness but the disaster is testing the state’s capacity and resources. More than 1,000 homes were reported demolished and infrastructure in the coastal areas of South and North Hamgyong provinces was completely battered in the storm. The farmland and public buildings were in ruins. Kim on September 5 drafted measures that an executive policy committee meeting that required the forces to carry out rebuilding efforts and material transport. Further, Kim dismissed the chairman of the South Hamyong provincial party committee and appointed a new chair.

[North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, speaks during his visit to a western coastal area in South Hwanghae province, North Korea, where Typhoon Bavi made landfall. Credit: AP]

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