2006 North Korea flooding
Encyclopedia
Flooding in North Korea in July 2006 caused extensive damage and loss of life, although reports differ about its extent.
A statement by the official Korean Central News Agency
on August 3 described the events as "claiming huge human and material losses." Chosŏn Shinbo, a newspaper published by a pro-North Korean association linked to the North, said in early August that the floods killed at least 549 people, left 295 others missing, and left 60,000 homeless.
The South Korea
n aid group Good Friends estimates that the flooding left 58,000 people dead or missing and that some 1.5 million people may have been made homeless and in a rare move North Korea asked for aid from South Korea. South Korea pledged $20 million to North Korea to help with the flooding. There has been no statement from the North Korean government on whether the reports from the South Korean aid group are true.
According to cattlenetwork.com, the greatest flooding was experienced in the Kangwon, Kaesong
, South Pyongan, South Hamgyong and South Hwanghae provinces, with substantial damage to agricultural land. The U.S. based Radio Free Asia
reported the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
as saying that in some locations "whole villages have been swept away and essential public facilities (such as clinics) destroyed, while widespread damage to roads and bridges has displaced and stranded many people", that over 7,000 homes were completely destroyed, with almost 13,000 families left homeless, and that South Pyongan, North Hwanghae, Kangwon, and South Hamgyong were the worst-affected provinces.
North Korea cancelled its gymnastics show Arirang Festival
in order to recover from the flooding. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/07/31/2003321207
Both the United Nations
and the South Korean Red Cross offered food aid to the affected regions, though according to a report by Associated Press, Pyŏngyang turned these offers down.
A statement by the official Korean Central News Agency
Korean Central News Agency
The Korean Central News Agency is the state news agency of North Korea and has existed since December 5, 1946. KCNA is headquartered in the capital city of Pyongyang...
on August 3 described the events as "claiming huge human and material losses." Chosŏn Shinbo, a newspaper published by a pro-North Korean association linked to the North, said in early August that the floods killed at least 549 people, left 295 others missing, and left 60,000 homeless.
The South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n aid group Good Friends estimates that the flooding left 58,000 people dead or missing and that some 1.5 million people may have been made homeless and in a rare move North Korea asked for aid from South Korea. South Korea pledged $20 million to North Korea to help with the flooding. There has been no statement from the North Korean government on whether the reports from the South Korean aid group are true.
According to cattlenetwork.com, the greatest flooding was experienced in the Kangwon, Kaesong
Kaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
, South Pyongan, South Hamgyong and South Hwanghae provinces, with substantial damage to agricultural land. The U.S. based Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
reported the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
as saying that in some locations "whole villages have been swept away and essential public facilities (such as clinics) destroyed, while widespread damage to roads and bridges has displaced and stranded many people", that over 7,000 homes were completely destroyed, with almost 13,000 families left homeless, and that South Pyongan, North Hwanghae, Kangwon, and South Hamgyong were the worst-affected provinces.
North Korea cancelled its gymnastics show Arirang Festival
Arirang Festival
The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang are held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea...
in order to recover from the flooding. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/07/31/2003321207
Both the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and the South Korean Red Cross offered food aid to the affected regions, though according to a report by Associated Press, Pyŏngyang turned these offers down.
Sources
- DPRK floods Information Bulletin, Red Cross, July 26, 2006
- Radio Free Asia story: U.N. Offers Food Aid to Flood-Hit North Korea, July 26, 2006
- ABC News story: N Korean flood toll thought to be 10,000, August 2, 2006
- N.Korea rejects flood aid offer, Associated Press, August 2, 2006
- Korean Central News Agency (official North Korean government news agency) Kim Jong Il Receives Message of Sympathy from Indonesian President, August 3, 2006
- BBC News story: North Korea flooding 'kills 549', August 7, 2006; reporting the Chosŏn Shinbo story
- cattlenetwork.com story: Flooding Reduces Rice Crop in North Korea, August 14, 2006
- China Post story (crediting Reuters): S. Korea Red Cross plans rice aid for North, August 15, 2006
- ABC News story (crediting Associated Press) Group: 54,700 Dead, Missing in N. Korea, August 16, 2006
See also
- North Korean famineNorth Korean famine'The North Korean famine was a famine in North Korea which began in the early 1990s...
- DPRK Red Cross Society
- 2007 North Korea flooding2007 North Korea floodingFlooding in North Korea in August 2007 caused extensive damage and loss of life. The flooding affected most of the southern half of the country including the capital and some of its most productive agricultural regions...