North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has rejected offers of aid from countries and international organizations to cover the damage caused by heavy rains and floods in the northwest of his country.
The North Korean media reported that Kim met with families who were placed in temporary shelters due to the floods.
Kim stated that around 15.000 people could be brought to the capital, Pyongyang, in the coming months and that he would support the victims in all areas.
Kim thanked countries and international organizations for their promises to provide humanitarian aid and support, but he declared that the flood damage would be repaired without external assistance.
South Korea, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Russia, and China had offered assistance to North Korea for the floods.
More than 5.000 people were evacuated from the city of Sinuiju when the Yalu River, on the border between North Korea and China, overflowed due to heavy rains.
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification stated that it estimates the number of people who died or went missing due to the heavy rains and floods in North Korea has exceeded 1.000.
Kim Jong-un, on the other hand, condemned the South Korean media, accusing them of creating fabricated news about the extent of the flood damage in his country.
