In an effort to help North Korea amid the damage suffered from recent floods, Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered humanitarian aid to Pyongyang, according to Russian media.
In northwestern North Korea, heavy rains have flooded thousands of homes and vast farmlands, leaving many residents homeless and forced to live in makeshift tents, North Korea’s state media reported Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Some 4,100 homes, 3,000 hectares (about 7,410 acres) of farmland and numerous public buildings, roads and railways suffered flooding in Inuiju and Uiju. The extent of casualties, however, remains unknown, but KCNA recently quoted Kim as saying the flooding caused a “casualty that cannot be allowed,” but did not clarify what exactly that meant.
In a backdrop, the Russian leader expressed empathy and support in his message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday and signalled his readiness to provide immediate assistance to North Korea in dealing with the flooding, North Korea’s official North Korean Central Telegraphic Agency reported on Sunday.
You can always count on our assistance and support, Putin told Kim in his message, according to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.
The leader of North Korea, for his part, expressed his gratitude to Putin for the offer of assistance, saying North Korea has developed its own rehabilitation plans and will seek Russian help later if needed, KCNA reported.
Apart, North Korea received the offer from Seoul on Thursday that included humanitarian aid. Observers say Pyongyang is likely to ignore or reject the South Korean offer as hostility between the two countries has reached one of the highest points in recent years. Moreover, during a Friday visit to a military unit involved in operations to evacuate residents stranded by floods, Kim called South Korea a “scum,” criticising what he said was “rubbish” South Korean media for tarnishing North Korea’s image.
“We offer sincere condolences for North Koreans who have suffered severe damage from torrential rains. We express our willingness to quickly provide urgently needed items for the victims out of humanitarianism and compatriotic love for the North Korean people,” the South Korean government said in a statement on Thursday.
