TYPHOON LINGLING HITS N. KOREA

[Anchor Lead]

The year's 13th typhoon, Lingling, also wreaked havoc in North Korea as it clawed its way through the Korean Peninsula. North Korean authorities tallied eight casualties and reported damages and restoration efforts in an unusually prompt manner, demonstrating a disaster management system vastly different from previous ones.

[Pkg]

Gale-force winds ripped apart a roof and knocked down crops. Streets were flooded and roadside trees uprooted.

[Soundbite] NAM CHOL-KWANG(N. KOREA'S NATIONAL DISASTER COMMITTEE) : "Some parts of the country, including Hwanghae-do Province, suffered significant damage."

The Korean Central News Agency reported that, as of yesterday, Typhoon Lingling left five people dead and three injured. The news outlet also reported that some 460 homes and 15 public buildings were damaged or flooded and 458 square kilometers of farmland affected. Korean Central TV aired the extent of the damage in a breaking news format and urged a speedy recovery.

[Soundbite] (KOREAN CENTRAL TV(SEP. 8)) : "Assistance in all forms must be provided so that residents in the affected areas would not be inconvenienced."

It's unusual for North Korean authorities to issue typhoon alerts in advance, to convene emergency meetings, and to promptly announce damage statistics. The Pyongyang regime must have come to realize the seriousness of disasters, as the country suffered a series of natural disasters such as the great flood of 2016. Consequently, the country operated a disaster management system quite different from previous ones. North Korean authorities seem to be touting the results of their thorough preparation and prompt restoration in an effort to unite its people and strengthen the regime.