North Korea's leader visits flood-hit town, sister makes first public appearance in months

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was recently spotted inspecting the recovery work in flood-hit areas of the nation, state media reported on October 2. The leader was accompanied by his sister, Kim Yo Jong, who made her first public appearance in two months. Their visit comes as summer storms, typhoons and floods have hard hit the hermit nation, destroying hundreds of houses and annihilating food supplies.

Appreciated the speed of reconstruction

During his visit, Kim appreciated the speed of reconstruction work in Kimhwa County in Kangwŏn province, KCNA reported. Commenting on the destruction in the country, the leader said that storms and natural disaster, this year, have been one of “unprecedently hardships”.

Amidst all this, a vehicle that may be carrying intercontinental ballistic missile was spotted at a parade training ground in Pyongyang suburbs amid signs of preparation for celebratory parade on October 10, a US-based think-tank said. The ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was founded on October 10, 1945, and North Korean troops are preparing for a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the party.

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38 North, a program of the Stimson Center dedicated to analysing events in and around North Korea, released satellite imagery of Mirim Parade Training Ground on September 22. The analysts said that the shape and size of the vehicle suggests a transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) for a large missile. However, they also added that it could be a towed mobile-erector-launcher (MEL) with its truck-tractor attached, citing insufficient imagery resolution.

They acknowledged that the vehicle could be something else but added that it seems unlikely in this particular location and circumstance.” The Mirim facility has regularly been used as a rehearsal location for parades but the rehearsals, according to 38 North, started slightly later when compared to previous years, possibly because of COVID-19 measures and weather constraints. 

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