Kim Jong Un Wades Into North Korean Floods In Hands-On Propaganda Drive

(Bloomberg) -- Leader Kim Jong Un plants his feet in mud, rides a cramped rubber rescue boat on a swollen river and directs military helicopters unloading evacuees on a rain-soaked runway.

North Korea’s propaganda apparatus is breaking new ground in the way it has portrayed him battling alongside ordinary citizens as he tackles a flood emergency that has devastated a northwestern area of the country and is estimated to have caused a “considerable human toll,” according to the South Korean ministry that manages relations with the neighbor.

That discrepancy could mean his government’s trying to shift the blame for a disaster that may be bigger than reported. The state media photos convey the message that Kim cares deeply for his people and their unusual hands-on settings may also be intended to enhance the cult of personality around the leader. 

“Kim’s recent activities are unimaginable for North Korea,” said Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at South Korea’s state-run Korea Institute for National Unification. 

The city of Sinuiju, a trade hub connected to China by bridge, and the nearby county of Uiju were hit by torrential rains and floods in the last week of July. The downpours have damaged about 4,100 homes, swept over roads and rail links, and wiped out about 3,000 hectares (7,410 acres) of farmland, according to North Korean state media reports. 

About 5,000 people have been rescued, according to the official Korean Central News Agency, which has not reported any deaths. KCNA has gone to great lengths to showcase Kim’s involvement, saying he has been at an airstrip to direct military helicopter flights to shuttle people to safety.

“The rescued people saw him waiting for them at the violent rainy airport so unexpectedly and broke into cheers, shedding tears of boundless gratitude and emotion,” KCNA said.

The flooding started at around the time Kim was celebrating the July 27 anniversary marking the end of fighting in the 1950-1953 Korean War at a Pyongyang event that included a musical gala. 

The exact number of casualties was not immediately known, but South Korean media outlet TV Chosun reported at least hundreds were estimated to have been killed, citing a government source it did not identify. North Korean media hasn’t mentioned any deaths. 

The area is a major producer of grain and any loss of cropland adds to food insecurity in a country where the United Nations World Food Program has said about 40% of the population is undernourished.

Nonetheless, the disaster comes as Kim rides high, with the country’s sanctions-hit economy on the mend. The US and South Korea have said materials and food are flowing in from Russia in exchange for munitions Pyongyang is supplying to Moscow to supports its assault on Ukraine. 

“The flooding will not negatively affect Kim’s leadership. In fact, although it will have a negative impact on the economy, it will be a good leadership propaganda opportunity,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior fellow with the 38 North Program at the Stimson Center.

The images in state media show Kim looking through a rolled-down window from a vehicle driving through floodwaters to survey the damage. He’s also shown aboard a crowded boat without a life jacket. 

“There is no better way to underscore Kim as being in complete control of the situation and caring for the people, even at the expense of his own comfort, by showing photos and videos of the leader being in command on the ground, wading through water, or riding a rubber boat across flooded areas,” said Lee, who has worked as an analyst for the CIA’s Open Source Enterprise.

Kim has already sought to redirect blame by sacking the country’s public security minister and is proposing to punish others, KCNA reported. 

The North Korean leader has previously been shown as directing disaster rescue operations. But it is rare for the country’s tightly controlled media to show images of him enduring such uncomfortable and even dangerous conditions. 

“Kim Jong Un gets the same as any politician does in any country when they turn up at a disaster site: The image that they are in control, taking a personal interest in the lives of the people and caring for those affected by the disaster,” said Martyn Williams, a senior fellow for the Stimson Center’s Korea Program. “State media doesn’t seem afraid to also show him getting a little dirty.”

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.