By Deadly flooding has allegedly hit North Korea:
Heavy rains spawned flooding that left "hundreds" dead or missing in North Korea and destroyed more than 30,000 homes, the country’s state media reported Tuesday.
The official Korean Central News Agency said preliminary information revealed massive casualties after the storms that began last week, but gave no specific figures.
It said the rain also flooded tens of thousands of acres of farmland in the impoverished country that suffers from regular food shortages.
As bad as this sounds I take such reports with a grain of salt because the North Koreans use these natural disaster excuses to get more aid money from South Korea and it provides the ROK government the cover it needs to send it. So when the big massive bribe aid package is announced during the 2nd Inter-Korean summit the ROK government can claim that it is also part of flood relief for North Korea. Talk about a well timed flood.
that...
5:47 am on August 15th, 2007 1
[...] Deadly Flooding in North Korea — [GI Korea] As bad as this sounds I take such reports with a grain of salt because the North Koreans use these natural disaster excuses to get more aid money from South Korea and it provides the ROK government the cover it needs to send it. So when the big massive bribe aid package is announced during the 2nd Inter-Korean summit the ROK government can claim that it is also part of flood relief for North Korea. Talk about a well timed flood. [...]
8:30 am on August 15th, 2007 2
[...] at ROK Drop is taking this news with a grain of salt. North Koreans use these natural disaster excuses to get more aid money from [...]
12:34 am on August 15th, 2007 3
GIKorea,
As I said yesterday on my blog, "Can you say pity party for north Korea?" I agree with you that all this news of flood damage is suspiciously well timed to coincided with the 2nd Inter-Korean Summit. As I said over on my side, north Korea never releases any information without a political or propaganda purpose behind it.
Tim in Angeles sendzzzzzzzzzzzzz
7:26 am on August 15th, 2007 4
I wonder how long till the KCNA announces that the flooding was the fault of the U.S. because of UFL. By the by, anyone here during the great TDC flood of 98 when it washed all our AHA's (and Camp Hovey) out into the town?
12:30 am on August 16th, 2007 5
GIKorea,
The blog here keeps saying that there are more responses to this entry than there really are. Yesterday it said 1 comment where there was none and today it says 4 comments when I can see only 2. What's the deal Neal? Just wondering if there's something wrong with your blog here.
A concerned contributor,
Tim in Angeles sendzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
1:18 am on August 16th, 2007 6
Tim,
WordPress counts the trackbacks that are left as comments as well. So my commment makes 4 actual comments and the two trackbacks so far makes a total of six.
7:56 pm on August 16th, 2007 7
[...] photos are care of KRT, North Korea’s Television network, and come via Reuters.GI at ROK Drop is taking this news with a grain of salt. North Koreans use these natural disaster excuses to get more aid money from [...]