South Korea is willing to provide flood relief to North Korea “in the spirit of brotherhood,” a gesture of goodwill amid escalating tensions between the two states.
During a press briefing on Thursday afternoon, South Korea Red Cross Secretary General Park Jong-sul said: “Aware of the humanitarian challenges faced by North Korean residents, we are willing to promptly provide urgently needed relief to affected North Koreans from a humanitarian perspective and in the spirit of brotherhood.”
Park also expressed his condolences to those impacted by the floods, and said that Seoul was “ready to discuss details” of the aid, including quantity and delivery method, with the North Korean Red Cross.
Newsweek has contacted North Korea’s London embassy to ask whether they intend to accept the offer of assistance.
On Saturday, severe rainfall swept across North Korea’s western provinces, submerging large swathes of the countryside and leaving thousands of citizens stranded.
KCNA, Pyongyang’s state-run news agency, claimed that 4,100 houses and nearly 12 square miles of farmland in the Sinuiju region bordering China were underwater on Wednesday.
No casualty figures have been released, but 4,200 Sinuiju residents were reportedly evacuated by the North Korean Air Force.
“Some parts of the DPRK, including North Phyongan and Jagang provinces, have recently been stricken severely by flooding and torrential rain,” KCNA said. “Officials and working people across the country are rendering material and moral assistance to the people in the afflicted areas, regarding their pain as their own.”
An emergency meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party Politburo was convened on Monday and Tuesday, according to DPRK newspaper Rodong Sinmun, at which North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un “proposed to strictly punish those who severely neglected their responsible duties…a practice that cannot be pardoned.”
A day prior, Kim visited the flood-hit areas in Sinuiju, and photos released by KCNA showed him inspecting the region aboard a dinghy.
Despite the clear damage, North Korea has not yet responded to its neighbor, and recent offers of assistance from the South have been steadfastly refused.
The last flood package to North Korea was in 2010, according to JoongAng Daily, and consisted of $5.2 million worth of food and construction supplies.
Similar offers of food and medical supplies were made after the floods in 2012, which the South Korean Unification Ministry said were rejected by Pyonyang.
The 2012 floods left 88 dead and 63,000 homeless, according to KCNA.
The latest offer of assistance from South Korea comes during a period of heightened tensions with its northern neighbor.
In early 2024, Kim Jong Un amended his country’s constitution to define Seoul as its “principal enemy.”
Since that time, North Korea has conducted multiple ballistic missile tests, and issued warnings about a possible nuclear confrontation in response to “aggression” from Seoul and its allies.
Tensions have also reached fever pitch at the inter-Korean border, with unauthorized crossings and other disputes raising concerns among Seoul officials about a potential North Korean attack.
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