North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un has announced plans to relocate over 15,000 displaced victims to Pyongyang to provide them with “protection” following the recent heavy rain in the North Pyongyang Province.
However, according to the South Korean government, no specific developments have been observed yet. The South Korean government stated yesterday that North Korea appears to be considering a large-scale follow-up measure for propaganda purposes.
During a speech last week, Kim Jong Un visited the flood-affected areas in North Pyongyang Province and announced plans to relocate over 15,400 disaster victims to the capital. This group includes 2,198 preschool children, 384 students, 4,524 elderly individuals, 265 honorably discharged soldiers, and 4,096 mothers with young children.
Kim explained that these individuals would be housed at the 4.25 Hotel in Pyongyang or a military training base. They would receive food, daily necessities, and medical supplies. He also assured that the children and students would have access to preschool, elementary, and middle school education as part of the protective measures.
Kim also acknowledged potential challenges, noting, “Some mothers may hesitate to part with their young children for several months, and others may find it difficult to leave under various conditions. I will respect their decisions and resolutions.”
Although he mentioned victims’ willingness as an essential factor, the nature of the North Korean regime means that the supreme leader’s directives will become critical priorities. Therefore, they will soon announce significant measures to implement this directive.
Even if the number does not reach over 15,000, analysts expect North Korea will promote the move as Kim’s “people-oriented policies” being “successfully implemented” for propaganda purposes.
In the ensuing days, North Korean authorities are likely to disclose the specific number of relocated victims and state that the party has “safely relocated the disaster victims to Pyongyang.”
South Korean intelligence authorities are reportedly closely monitoring the recent developments after the flooding in North Korea, considering that North Korea seems to be trying to dispel public discontent caused by the disaster by diverting public attention through condemnation of South Korea despite offering disaster relief.
Some analysts argue that relocating disaster victims to Pyongyang highlights the stark disparity between the provinces and the capital. They suggest that North Korean authorities may be using the promise of education for children to manage public sentiment and obscure the harsh realities in the flood-affected regions.
Professor Kang Dong Wan from Dong-A University stated, “This strategy aims to comfortably deploy the remaining disaster victims, excluding children and the elderly, to the disaster recovery sites. Also, relocating the children to Pyongyang could pave the way for ideological education to mitigate the damage to its national image caused by this disaster.”