KJU Inspects Storm Damage in Kangwo’n Province (revised)
Kim Jong Un smokes a cigarette while inspecting flood damage in Anbyo’n County, Kangwo’n Province. Also in attendance are (L-R): DPRK Premier Kim Tok Hun, WPK Secretary of Organizational Affairs Jo Yong Won (back to the camera), WPK Agriculture Department Director Ri Chol Man and Pak Jong Chon (Photo: KCNA).
Kim Jong Un (Kim Cho’ng-u’n) visited Anbyo’n County, Kangwo’n to inspect storm damage from the Khanun typhoon. Also in attendance were DPRK Premier Kim Tok Hun (Kim Tok-hun), Workers’ Party of Korea Secretary for Organizational Affairs Jo Yong Won (Cho Yo’ng-wo’n),Pak Jong Chon (Pak Cho’ng-cho’n), WPK Agriculture Department Director Ri Chol Man (Ri Ch’o’l-man) and State Agriculture Commission Chairman and Minister of Agriculture Ju Chol Gyu (Chu Ch’o’l-kyu).
After typhoon, according to DPRK state media, KJU “saw to it that senior officials of the Party and the government went to the spots to learn in detail about damage and pushed ahead with the recovery work, and he urged the Korean People’s Army (KPA) units stationed in Kangwo’n Province to launch a campaign for rapid recovery from the damage by urgently deploying necessary forces.” He appreciated the “KPA units which promptly went into the work for recovering farmlands from flood damage, displaying their militant might” and said that “the army should be able to actively cope with the war and other sudden non-military tasks, including the recovery from disasters and perfectly perform its duty…it is the duty and absolute mission of the KPA to defend the life and security of the people at the risk of its life in any crisis.”
KJU said that “as the flooded farmlands were rehabilitated in a short span of time, it is quite possible to prevent the aftermath of damage” and instructed “taking necessary agro-technical measures including the immediate nutrition management for protecting crops to the maximum and preventing bad effects on grain output.” KJU indicated that “farmlands in Ogye-ri, Anbyo’n County were flooded, entirely due to the extremely chronic and irresponsible work attitude of agricultural guidance organs and Party organizations in the region.” He remarked that the party “has srongly called upon all sectors and units to take decisive steps for strengthening the anti-damage measure and counter-crisis capability while making the occurrence of natural disasters every a fair accompli, and continued the work for assigning relevant instructions, but the officials of the region were insensitive to the state measures and took no measure and, as a result, the region suffered much damage than other regions.”
Kim Jong Un said that “a warning should be given to the state work system for having the capability to prevent natural disasters once again with this opportunity as an occasion” and he emphasized “the need for all regions and units to quickly find out dangerous locations and take measures for preventing damage in advance.”
It seems the Suryo’ng had things to say about the civilian leadership in Kangwo’n. The province, of course, would receive some special attention from KJU. He spends half of his time living at the Kim Family compound in the provincial capital Wo’nsan. Anbyo’n County itself is the location of a training school and elite unit of the KPA Reconnaissance General Bureau [RGB] and the infamous Anbyo’n Proving Ground.
