After a localized heavy rainfall which fell in the North Korean region, the 1st floor of Pyongyang Botong River Hotel was flooded and the walking path by Daedong River was completely submerged in water, reported Chosun Shinbo, the Japanese Jocheongryun publication, on the 13th.
The Chosun Shinbo said, “Since around the 6th, with the West Coast Region as a focus, large rainfall has poured daily in several regions, raising the water level of the Daedong River. The reservation of the riverbank has been completely submerged in water as of 1 o’clock in the afternoon on the 11th.”
In China’s Dandong adjacent to Shinuiju in North Korea, a localized rainfall has fallen these last four days and a flood disaster has occurred in a portion of the regions. It was verified that the water level of Yalu River has risen significantly as well.
Chosun Shinbo quoted a related person of North Korea’s Central Weather Research Institute and relayed that in the last five days, over a half of 1,000mm of North Korea’s average annual precipitation has fallen in many regions of North Korea. In the case of Pyongyang, “After analyzing the overall documents as of 3pm on the 11th, the precipitation is equivalent to the flood which submerged the whole city in August 1967.”
With the rapid rise in water level of Daedong River due to the localized rainfall, damage is supposed to be serious in several places within Pyongyang. The rainfall which poured on the city could not be properly channeled to Daedong River, leading to the submersion of the 1st floor of the Botong River Hotel.
The hotel is a first-rate hotel, a nine-floor building situated in 1973 on the edge of the Botong River in Ansang-dong, Pyongcheon-district. It is a place usually occupied by foreign businessmen seeking out Pyongyang. The US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, who visited Pyongyang in June, was supposed to have shared drinks with Kim Kye Gwan.
South Korea Government feels out the possible effect on the upcoming Summit.
The newspaper relayed that an increase in river level has been recorded in several places in the last five days and 623mm and 579mm of rainfall fell in Pyonggang-gun, Kangwon and Koksan-gun in North Hwanghae, respectively, from midnight on the 7th to 3 o’clock in the afternoon on the 11th.
In the middle of July last year, hundreds of deaths resulted from a localized rainfall in North Korea, incurring significant damages such as flooding of farmlands and breakdown of buildings.
The Chosun Shinbo revealed at the time, “There were 549 deaths, 295 missing persons, 3,043 injuries, and damage to 16,667 residential buildings, resulting in flood victims from 28,747 households. 1,180 public and production buildings and 23,974 units of area of farmland were also damaged.”
On one hand, the news of serious damage in several places of North Korea, including Pyongyang, due to the rainfall has government insiders bristling about the potential effect on the North-South Korea Summit Talks, which was planned for the 28th.
Related to this, a related person of the government said, “Due to the localized rainfall which fell for several days, a severe disaster has taken place in North Korea. The Summit Talks planned for this month is expected to open without any setbacks. At the preparatory contact which is held in Kaesung on the 14th, relevant talks will be exchanged. It is possible that discussion related to flood aid will take place.”
An overland route will be realistically difficult.
Subsequently, it is highly possible that the government, which has pursued an overland visit to North Korea, will turn its position. The Kaesung-Pyongyang highway which was used at the time of Kim Man Bok’s, Chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), visited to North Korea was known to be swept away.
In the case of railroads, experts analyze that visiting North Korea on the Kyunghui Line (from Seoul to Shinuiju), unless the safety issue is resolved, would be difficult since the foundation of the railroads has been weakened.
Related to this, Chun Ho Sun, a Blue House spokesperson, said at a customary briefing on the 13th, “There has been talks of overland or flight travel. Travelling by land implies good things, too.
Even if the Summit Talks are held, there is room that the itinerary for foreigners will be curtailed. The Pyongyang welcoming event could be abridged or cancelled. After the localized rainfall last year in North Korea, the Arirang performance, which had been prepared for a year, was cancelled.
It can be forecasted that North Korea will delay the planned Summit Talks. At the time of the 1st Summit Talks, North Korea postponed the schedule of the talks by a day with the excuse of event preparations.
