North Korea to Ask Russia for Help in Flood Fight If Necessary

TOKYO, Aug. 4. /TASS/ – Pyongyang will seek help from its “most sincere friends” in Moscow if it needs support in dealing with the aftermath of floods that have hit the northwestern part of the country, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said, thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin for his condolences a day earlier.

“Kim Jong Un, on behalf of the North Korean government, the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Korean people and himself, expressed sincere gratitude to President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government,” the Korean Central News Agency reported.

“He wholeheartedly accepted the sincere condolences of his closest friends. At the current stage, government measures have been taken to urgently cope with the consequences of the flood, so the reconstruction will be carried out according to the developed plan. And if urgent help is needed during the further reconstruction, we will seek help from our sincere friends in Moscow,” Kim Jong-un added. According to him, after receiving Putin’s condolences, the North Korean people “realized the fact” that the country “has a closest friend.”

Heavy rain on July 27 caused the water level in the Amnok River to rise above dangerous levels. The Korean Central News Agency reported earlier that more than 5,000 residents of Sinuiju City and Uiju County in North Pyongan Province were isolated. They were evacuated by helicopters, with Kim Jong Un personally monitoring the situation on the ground. In his message to the North Korean leader, Putin noted that he can always count on Moscow’s help and support.