Kim Jong-un rejects international aid for flooding in northwest of the country

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to bring flood victims and those affected by recent floods in the northwest of the country to Pyongyang, the capital, to treat them without having to accept outside help, state news agency KCNA reported Saturday.

Kim made a two-day trip between Thursday and Friday to Uiju County in North Pyongan Province (northwest) to meet with those affected who are currently in temporary shelters, the aforementioned media detailed.

The North Korean leader announced there an “emergency system” to transfer some 15,400 people to the capital, mainly children, the elderly, disabled soldiers and women, to provide them with support for the next two to three months, until reconstruction and repair work is completed in the affected areas.

“Child care, teaching and education are priority state affairs that should never be abandoned in emergency situations,” Kim said during a speech during the visit.

It is the second time the North Korean leader has travelled to flood-affected regions, following another trip last week.

Kim again denounced that the information published in South Korean media about the serious damage caused by the rains in North Korea, which indicate that more than a thousand people have died, are “fabrications” and “false propaganda for political reasons”, claiming that the affected population is “safe and sound”.

The North Korean regime confirmed at the time that there were more than 5,000 evacuees, who had begun to return to their homes at the beginning of this month of August.

Kim welcomed the offer of help from several countries and international organisations, but vowed to repair the damage caused by the floods without outside help.

The North Korean leader believes that the best option is to “deal with the problems thoroughly on the basis of self-reliance,” KCNA said.

In recent weeks, the South Korean Red Cross, the United Nations Children’s Fund, as well as the governments of Russia and China have offered to provide emergency supplies and other aid to North Korea in the face of the floods, but Pyongyang has not responded to their offers.