Kim Jong Un has visited flood-stricken communities in North Korea where thousands of people have been displaced.
Crowds cheered and reached out to grab the North Korean dictator’s hand as he walked past their tents in the northwestern town of Uiju during a two-day trip to meet victims of the catastrophic floods.
Footage showed the 40-year-old leader sitting in one of the tents as people appeared to dance around him.
He was shown picking up several children and grinning as he handed them various gifts and treats.
Despite the devastation surrounding him, Mr Kim travelled to the region in his dark green bulletproof train, with his luxurious armoured car on board.
Some South Korean media reports claim that the North’s flood damages are likely worse than what state media have acknowledged, and that the number of deaths could exceed 1,000.
During his trip, Mr Kim said North Korea will not seek outside help to recover from floods that devastated areas near the country’s border with China, following an offer of help from Russia and China.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said: “Expressing thanks to various foreign countries and international organisations for their offer of humanitarian support, (Mr Kim) said what we regard as the best in all realms and processes of state affairs is the firm trust in the people and the way of tackling problems thoroughly based on self-reliance.”
South Korea has also offered to send aid supplies.
Mr Kim said it would take between two and three months to rebuild the flood-hit areas.
Plans to temporarily accommodate 15,400 people – including mothers, children, older adults and disabled soldiers – at facilities in Pyongyang were also announced, the KCNA said.
The state news agency said Mr Kim’s visit showed his “sacred leadership” and “warm love and ennobling spirit of making devoted service for the people”.
State media reports said heavy rains in late July left 4,100 houses flooded along with more than 7,400 acres of agricultural fields in the northwestern city of Sinuiju and the neighbouring town of Uiju. Public buildings, roads and railways were also affected, they added.
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North Korea has not provided information on any deaths, but Mr Kim was quoted blaming public officials who had neglected disaster prevention for causing “the casualty that cannot be allowed”.
During his visit to Uiju, Mr Kim repeated an accusation that South Korea exaggerated the North’s flood damages and casualties, which he decried as a “smear campaign” and a “grave provocation” against his government.
