Floods in North Korea

This item appears on page 18 of the November 2016 issue.

In North Korea in mid-September, flooding caused by Typhoon Lionrock killed at least 130 people and displaced more than 100,000, with, at press time, more than 400 people reported as missing.

The worst flooding occurred on the Tumen River, along the northern border with China. There were reports of some towns being completely washed away. The flooding also destroyed crops, compounding food shortages already plaguing North Korea. The UN World Food Program estimated that 70% of North Koreans did not have enough to eat even before the floods occurred.