“100-day battle” for flood recovery day and night: triple barbed wire added at North Korea-China border

[Anchor]

Scenes of recovery efforts being carried out day and night in the DPRK's Yalu River basin, which has suffered severe flooding, have been captured by KBS cameras.

At the North Korea-China border, China has installed additional barbed wire, reaffirming the unusual tensions between the two countries.

Kim Hyo-shin reports from the North Korea-China border area.

[Report]

This is the Yalu River downstream from the DPRK's Wihwa Island, viewed from Dandong, China.

It is past 9 PM, and the sound of heavy machinery is loud.

They are working to restore the damage caused by the extreme rainfall this summer.

The power situation seems poor, as the lights flicker while people move busily.

The recovery work continued until the next morning.

It is still early in the morning.

Construction is simultaneously taking place on about ten buildings, ongoing day and night.

We approached closely by boat.

Banners reading 'Patriotic Youth' and 'Single-Minded Unity' are displayed.

They are the 'Baekdu Mountain Hero Youth Shock Troops' dispatched by the DPRK authorities.

There are no safety facilities such as fall prevention nets, even for high-rise work.

Unlike during the flooding when they demolished structures by hand, heavy machinery is now being heavily utilized.

They still carry lumber by hand as well.

[Dandong Resident/Voice Altered: "They worked all night. When I saw it yesterday, it was flat, but now buildings have gone up. It's fast. Really fast."]

In fact, satellite images show that buildings have been constructed or are under construction in a row within just over a month.

The reason for this rushed schedule is reportedly due to Kim Jong-un's directive to complete the flood recovery within three months, referred to as the so-called '100-day battle.'

A levee over 4 meters high has been built along the Yalu River.

As China erected flood barriers, allowing more rainwater to flow into the DPRK, they raised the existing levee by more than 3 meters, which is the height of two adults.

Unusual tensions between the two countries are also detected at the North Korea-China border.

China has added iron fences to the double barbed wire in the border area, including the Hwanggumpyong Economic Zone, which was a symbol of economic trade between North Korea and China.

[DPRK Source/Voice Altered: "They built it this high to prevent access to Hwanggumpyong from the Chinese side."]

The triple-layered border fences illustrate the freezing relations between North Korea and China.

This is Kim Hyo-shin reporting for KBS News from Dandong, China.