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SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected recovery efforts in a flooded village, his latest visit to areas damaged by recent typhoons, while his sister reappeared in public for the first time in about two months, state media said Friday ( October 2nd). .
Kim praised the speed of reconstruction work in southeastern Kimhwa County during the visit with Kim Yo Jong, KCNA reported. He said of storms and other natural disasters: “This year has been one of unprecedented difficulties.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects reconstruction sites in Kimhwa County, in this image released by North Korea’s Central News Agency on October 1, 2020. KCNA / via REUTERS
Young Kim, considered the de facto second in command, is believed to be in her early 30s and the only close relative of the leader with a public role in politics. She became prominent with her harsh rhetoric against South Korea.
LEE: Kim Jong Un praises the army for rebuilding the area affected by the typhoon – state media
Summer storms and floods have hit North Korea hard, destroying thousands of homes and raising concerns of a worsening chronic food shortage in the country.
Praising the recovery, Kim said he “felt sorry” that the new homes in the area were of a “drab” design. Earlier, state media had called the cast houses a model of “socialist fairyland,” heralding the regime’s recovery efforts after thousands of houses were destroyed by flooding.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects reconstruction sites in Kimhwa County, in this image released by North Korea’s Central News Agency on October 1, 2020. KCNA / via REUTERS
Kim’s comments were the latest official criticism in the tightly controlled country, where socialist glorification is the norm.
In recent weeks, state media said Pyongyang had discovered “flaws” in its efforts to combat COVID-19, and Kim offered a rare apology for the killing of a South Korean official by North Korea in waters off the coast. west of the peninsula.
READ: North Korea tells UN it now has an ‘effective war deterrent’ that will focus on the economy
On Friday, the ruling party’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper featured Kim’s tour, showing lines of houses with red roofs and beige and white walls.
Kim said that while speed was important, he wished “artistic harmony with the surrounding environment and diversity had been properly combined,” KCNA said.
