North Korean authorities are warning the public about drowning and other water-related accidents as people head to the country’s valleys, streams, beaches, and waterparks to escape the summer heat.
“Earlier this month, Wonsan police issued safety rules to prevent injuries and accidents in the sea, rivers, streams, and other waterways through neighborhood watch units and schools,” a source in Kangwon province said recently. “Following the police order, workplaces and schools conducted intensive accident prevention training for a week, emphasizing caution to the public and students.”
When issuing the order, city police revealed that 127 water-related accidents occurred throughout Kangwon Province last year, with 71 of these happening in July and August alone.
Beach accidents were the most common with 49 cases, followed by rivers and streams with 46 incidents and reservoirs with 32 cases.
City police expressed particular concern that most victims were teenagers and adults who had entered the water after drinking.
Two accidents near Wonsan’s Songdowon beaches were especially tragic. In one incident, two high school students died when currents swept them away while they were playing in the sea. In another, a man in his forties went missing after waves carried him off when he entered the water while intoxicated.
New safety measures and patrols
City police stressed that such accidents could happen to anyone and ordered schools to strengthen their summer water safety training. They specifically required high schools to conduct hands-on training in CPR and rescue techniques.
Police also called for universities to combine safety lectures with displays of maritime safety materials in each class to raise young people’s awareness. On a trial basis, neighborhood watch units will require children, elderly people, and those with health issues to report when and where they’re going when they leave home.
Additionally, city police reinforced key safety rules: people must wear life vests when entering seas, rivers, or streams; they cannot enter forbidden waters or areas of unknown depth; they should never swim after drinking; children, elderly, or infirm people must have a guardian present; and emergencies should be reported immediately to neighborhood watch leaders and police patrols.
“City police emphasized that the party and government’s position is that people’s lives are precious assets of the party and state, and that not even one accident should be allowed,” the source said. “They urged that the latest order not become just perfunctory lessons but actual rules embedded in people’s daily lives.”
“City police plan to continue patrolling and monitoring seas, rivers, streams, and reservoirs until summer ends, while imposing administrative punishments and ideological education on people who enter forbidden waters or violate safety rules.”
