According to the Kremlin on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his sympathies to his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un over the terrible floods that destroyed thousands of homes and claimed countless lives.
Kim retorted that he “could deeply feel the special emotion towards a genuine friend” in response to the North’s Sunday announcement that Putin had also given “immediate humanitarian support” to aid with its recovery efforts.
This week, Pyongyang reported that it had witnessed a record-breaking downpour on July 27, which resulted in the deaths of an unknown number of people, flooded homes, and drowned large areas of farmland in the north close to China.
“I ask you to convey words of sympathy and support to all those who lost their loved ones as a result of the storm,” Putin said in a telegram to Kim.
“You can always count on our help and support.”
“The message of sympathy from Moscow was conveyed to the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK” on Saturday, said the official KCNA, noting it was immediately reported to leader Kim.
Though he acknowledged that “already-established plans as state measures were taken at the present stage,” Kim praised Putin for reaching out.
In response to the offer, Kim stated that “he would ask for aid from the truest friends in Moscow if necessary in the course,” according to KCNA.
Pyongyang stated on Wednesday that authorities who disregarded their responsibilities to avert disasters had resulted in casualties that were not specified, without giving specifics about the site.
On Saturday, it declared that the Sinuiju area—which Pyongyang claimed had the “greatest flood damage”—had no casualties at all.
Since the North’s establishment during World War II, Russia and North Korea have been allies, and their relationship has become even closer with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
South Korean media, which has extended immediate assistance to the victims, reported this week that the number of deceased and unaccounted for may reach 1,500.
The revelations infuriated Kim, who called them a “smear campaign to bring disgrace upon us and tarnish” the North’s reputation.
North Korea is charged with violating arms control agreements by giving Russia weaponry to use in the conflict in Ukraine.
The remote and underdeveloped nation is more susceptible to natural catastrophes because of its inadequate infrastructure and increased susceptibility to flooding as a result of deforestation.
