North Korea Devastated by Heavy Rains, What Are the Root Causes?

At that time, to increase food production, forests were indiscriminately cleared, and cultivated land, such as cornfields, was created in place of trees, intensifying deforestation. As a result, when it rains, landslides occur, and a large amount of soil flows into rivers, shallowing riverbeds, leading to an abnormally widened river width and frequent overflows, continuing a vicious cycle.

Flood damage in North Korea extends beyond simple residential inundation to threaten key national facilities. There have been past reports of inundation at the Yongbyon nuclear facility, and recently, munitions factories near the Amnok River also suffered flood damage. There are even testimonies that Chairman Kim Jong Un avoided visiting the affected munitions factories, presumably because damage to military facilities is perceived as exposing weaknesses in the North Korean regime.

Among the areas most heavily affected by recent floods are Sin'gye County and Koksan County in North Hwanghae Province. This region is known for its deep mountains even within North Korea and is geographically vulnerable to landslides and floods. Furthermore, Sin'gye and Koksan are military strongholds with a dense concentration of frontline units belonging to the Second Corps, covering the central part of the armistice line, including Kaesong, giving them significant military importance.

These are suicide combat units that infiltrate enemy territory in an emergency to destroy key facilities using bombs. Defector writer Kim Ju-seong explained that this unit is not a 'nuclear backpack' unit but a special force that carries bombs for use during infiltration into enemy territory and performs suicide missions by infiltrating key facilities on foot.

Due to persistent fuel shortages since the Arduous March, North Korea's deforestation has accelerated, making it structurally vulnerable to flood damage. Moreover, poor transportation infrastructure is also a major factor hindering disaster relief. The lack of proper road networks reduces accessibility to affected areas, further exacerbating the situation in military-dense areas impacted by floods. These structural limitations make it difficult for North Korea to effectively respond to disasters.

As a result, there is a strong tendency to conceal or downplay the extent of damage when floods occur. Residents' food situation is already dire, and the loss of cultivated land due to floods has exacerbated their difficulties. In a situation where it is difficult to overcome disasters independently without international assistance, the North Korean authorities' concealment policy is intensifying the suffering of residents and is likely to lead to significant loss of life. Although it is difficult to ascertain the exact extent of the damage, starvation deaths could surge in rural areas where the food production base has collapsed.