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| People wearing face masks walk amid concerns over the coronavirus disease in Pyongyang, North Korea, May 15, 2020. (Photo by=Kyodo/via REUTERS) |
[아시아뉴스통신=레악카나 기자] More heavy rain is forecast to hit North Korea over the weekend, with authorities already on alert over the huge damage caused by weeklong downpours, the North's news agency reported Saturday. Hwanghae and Kangwon were the areas in North Korea most affected by heavy rains this week.
Nearly 730 homes and 600 hectares of rice fields have been flooded and 179 homes destroyed after a levee broke as heavy rainfall pounded the country for days, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. Some areas in Kangwon received more than 800 millimeters of rain, according to the weather agency. The average yearly precipitation in North Korea comes to around 960 mm.
North Korea is vulnerable to natural disasters due to its lack of infrastructure, analysts say. Another downpour forecast has also put South Korean authorities on alert, as the rain could cause a sudden increase in water levels in the inter-Korean border regions. Earlier this week, North Korea partially opened the floodgates of Hwanggang Dam on the western border and released water into the Imjin river without prior notice, sending the level of the river to an all-time high.
