Relief tent villages for flood victims in North Korea are widely spread not only across the Uiju County area in North Pyongan Province but also into Jagang Province, the Voice of America (VOA) reported on August 22.
Satellite images from “Planet Labs” capturing the Jagang Province area revealed the presence of blue or orange tents in six locations, including the cities of Manpo, Sijung, Seonggan-eup, Jeoncheon-eup, Chosan-eup, and the Jangbaek Labor District.
When combined with the nine tent villages previously identified in Uiju County, this brings the total to at least 15 confirmed tent sites in the flood-affected regions.
VOA suggested that there might be even more relief facilities installed in other areas, especially if tents in less distinctive colors such as green or gray were used, which may be harder to spot in satellite images.
These tent villages are all located in villages along rivers, including the Yalu River, the Jaseong River, and the Jangja River, regions believed to have been particularly hard-hit by the recent heavy rains.
Experts have pointed out that the severe damage in North Korea, especially along the Yalu River bordering China, is largely due to the country’s lack of investment in social infrastructure and the deforestation that has left the land more vulnerable to floods.
Jerome Sauvage, the former head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Pyongyang, told VOA “There’s been a huge deficit in investment in DPRK’s infrastructure they would need to be able to strengthen the resilience of every community through a number of solutions such as small constructions, along the canals, building banks, etc. But, unfortunately, that hasn’t been done for decades.”
Last month, North Korea reported flood damage in Sinuiju and Uiju County in North Pyongan Province, as well as in Jagang and Ryanggang Provinces. However, the overall scale of the disaster has not been disclosed. North Korea has dismissed South Korean media reports, which suggested that up to 1,500 people may have died, as “fabrications from Seoul.”
BY JAESUNG BAE, YOUNGNAM KIM [hongdoya@joongang.co.kr]
